Abstract

Clematis erecta L. (Upright Virgin’s Bower; Ranunculaceae) has been traditionally used in the treatment of insomnia, urinary irritation, ulcers, neuralgic and rheumatic pain. But no systematic pharmacological work has ever been carried out on the plant to validate its traditional claims. Thus, the present study was planned to investigate analgesic and antiinflammatory activities of C. erecta aerial parts using tail immersion test and carrageenan-induced paw edema model in rats, respectively. Methanol extract was prepared after defatting plant material with petroleum ether using Soxhlet apparatus. Ethyl acetate and 1-butanol fractions from methanol extract were prepared using standardized procedure. The methanol extract, ethyl acetate and 1-butanol fractions were evaluated for analgesic and antiinflammatory activities at doses of 100, 200 or 400 mg/kg, p.o. Diclofenac sodium (10 mg/kg, p.o.) and indomethacin (5 mg/kg, p.o.) were used as standard analgesic and antiinflammatory drugs, respectively. The methanol extract and ethyl acetate fraction exhibited significant analgesic activity at the dose of 400 mg/kg comparable to that of the standard. The methanol extract and ethyl acetate fraction exhibited significant antiinflammatory activity at the dose of 400 mg/kg with respect to control as it inhibited paw edema in rats to 73.17 and 78.04%, respectively, during the 5 h of the study. Phytochemical screening of plant showed presence of triterpenoids and coumarins as major classes of phytoconstituents. Finally, it can be concluded that these phytoconstituents could be responsible for the observed analgesic and antiinflammatory activities.