Antinociceptive Effect of Ficus bengalensis Bark Extract in Experimental Models of Pain

The present study was carried out to study the effect of the aqueous extract of the stem bark of Ficus bengalensis (F. bengalensis) Linn on animal models of pain. The study consisted of five groups of Swiss albino mice with eight mice in each group. The first group served as the control group and received only normal saline. The second, third, and fourth groups received the aqueous extract of F. bengalensis per orally (p.o.) in doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg respectively. The last group received morphine intraperitoneally. The antinociceptive effect was studied using the tail-flick and formalin-induced pain tests. In the tail-flick test, a significant increase in the time elapsed till the animal flicked its tail from the source of thermal stimuli was obtained with all three tested doses of F. bengalensis extract as compared to the control group. In the early phase of the formalin test (0-5 min), a significant decrease in the duration of licking response was observed with F. bengalensis (at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg) and morphine-treated groups as compared to the control group. In the late phase (25-30 min) of the formalin test, the duration was significantly reduced with all three treated doses of F. bengalensis when compared with the control group. A similar result was obtained with the morphine-treated group. The results indicate that F. bengalensis extract possesses significant antinociceptive activity in the mice.