Antinociceptive and antipyretic activities of extracts and fractions from Dracaena loureiri in experimental animals

Reanmongkol, W., Subhadhirasakul, S. and Bouking, P. Antinociceptive and antipyretic activities of extracts and fractions from Dracaena loureiri in experimental animals Songklanakarin J. Sci. Technol., 2003, 25(4) : 467-476 Dried coarsely powdered material from the stem woods of Dracaena loureiri Gagnep (D loureiri) has extracted with hexane and methanol to give hexane and methanol extracts, respectively. The methanol extract was roughly separated into four fractions. They were methanol, methanol + water, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions. The effects of the methanol extract, hexane extract, methanol fraction, methanol + water fraction, ethyl acetate fraction and chloroform fraction on nociceptive response using writhing, hot plate and formalin tests in mice and the antipyretic activity in yeast-induced fever in rats, were examined. General behavior was also examined using pentobarbital-induced sleep in mice. The LD50 value of intraperitoneally injected the methanol extract, hexane extract, methanol fraction, ethyl acetate fraction and chloroform fraction in mice was 1.67 g/kg, >7 g/kg, 739.73 mg/kg, 489.77 mg/kg and 1.67 g/kg, respectively. Oral administration of the methanol extract and methanol fraction of D. loureiri (100-400 mg/kg) dose deORIGINAL ARTICLE 1Ph.D.(Pharmacology), Assoc. Prof., Department of Clinical Pharmacy, 2Ph.D.(Chemistry of Natural Products), Assoc. Prof., Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, 3Technician, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90112 Thailand. Corresponding e-mail: [email protected] Received, 16 December 2002 Accepted, 30 April 2003 Songklanakarin J. Sci. Technol. Vol. 25 No. 4 July-Aug. 2003 468 Antinociceptive and antipyretic activities from Dracaena loureiri Reanmongkol, W., et al. pendently decreased the number of writhings and stretchings induced by acetic acid and licking activity of the late phase in the formalin test. All extracts or fractions of D. loureiri had no effects on heat-induced pain in mice. Only the methanol fraction of D. loureiri suppressed yeast-induced fever in rats. Neither extracts nor fractions affected paw edema induced by carrageenin in rats. The methanol extract of D. loureiri (100400 mg/kg, p.o.) prolonged the duration of pentobarbital-induced sleep in mice. These results suggest that the methanol extract and the methanol fraction of D. loureiri possess analgesic effect. Only the methanol fraction of the extract exhibited antipyretic effect.