Phytochemical, Analgesic And Acute Toxicity Study Of Jatropha Curcus Root

Abstract

Jatropha curcus Linn. is a multipurpose plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. The ethnomedical practice in West Africa showed the application of Jatropha curcus leaves in different forms to cure various ailments like fever, mouth infections, jaundice, guinea worm sores and joint rheumatism. The roots of J. curcus have been used as a decoction for bleeding gums, toothache, eczema, ringworm, and scabies and to cure dysentery. This study therefore assessed the phytochemical and analgesic properties of Jatropha curcus root. The acetic acid induced writhing test in mice was used to study the analgesic effect. The analgesic activity on methanol extract of the root (25mg/kg, 50mg/kg and 100 mg/kg) in the writhing test showed significant reduction of pain induced by acetic acid with the 50mg/kg being more potent. Phytochemical results of the three solvent extracts showed presence of tannins, triterpenes, alkaloids, carbohydrate and flavonoids. The quantitative phytochemical analysis showed that alkaloids (94.0 mg/g) was the highest phytochemical detected in the root while the lowest was saponins and phenols (23.0 mg/g). The results of this investigation may be useful for deriving doses that are safe for human consumption medicinally of Jatropha curcus root. Collectively, this study provides scientific data for the use of Jatropha curcus in the treatment of pains and contribute to the analgesic knowledge of this species. Further study should be carried oot o find out the mechanism of its action and also to isolate, identify and characterize the active agent responsible for these effects in this plant.