The analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the extracts of Phyllanthus reticulatus

The petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts of Phyllanthus reticulatus Poir. (Euphorbiaceae) were chosen for pharmacological screening. In the acetic acid-induced writhing test, the ethyl acetate extract in doses of 150 and 300 mg/kg showed 51.23 and 65.12% inhibition of writhing, respectively. A significant elongation of tail-flick time was evident both in the ethyl acetate and the methanol extracts (42.38 and 60.49%) only at the 300 mg/kg dose level. In carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model, the methanol extract at the 300 mg/kg dose level showed 40.03% inhibition of edema at the end of 4 h. These results demonstrated that the extracts of P. reticulatus possess significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.