Abstract:
The present study was designed to investigate the free radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory and analgesic potential of methanolic extract of Benincasa hispida seeds (MEBH). Free radical scavenging potential of MEBH was evaluated by DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) method. The extract showed significant free radical scavenging activity in a dose dependent manner when compared with ascorbic acid. The highest radical scavenging activity of MEBH was found to be 79.8% at concentration of 300 μg mL-1. The H2O2 scavenging effect of MEBH was 63.7% at a concentration of 200 (μg mL-1). Further, the extract was studied for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities at the dose level of 100, 200 and 300 mg kg-1. Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated using carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats. Analgesic activity was evaluated by tail immersion and tail flick methods in mice. The extract showed significant decrease in paw volume (59.7% reduction) and pain at the dose level of 300 mg kg-1 when compared with reference drug diclofenac and morphine, respectively. The MEBH may be useful as a natural antioxidant in the treatment of inflammation and pain.
N.S. Gill, K. Dhiman, J. Bajwa, P. Sharma and S. Sood, 2010. Evaluation of Free Radical Scavenging, Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Potential of Benincasa hispida Seed Extract. International Journal of Pharmacology, 6: 652-657.
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