Abstract
Five medicinal plants of Pakistan were investigated for their antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, and anticoagulant potential. Antinociceptive activity was estimated by hot plate and writhing assay. In hot plate assay,
Quercus dilatata
(52.2%) and
Hedera nepalensis
(59.1%) showed moderate while
Withania coagulans
(65.3%) displayed a significant reduction in pain. On the other hand, in writhing assay,
Quercus dilatata
(49.6%),
Hedera nepalensis
(52.7%), and
Withania coagulans
(62.0%) showed comparative less activity. In anti-inflammatory assays crude extracts showed significant edema inhibition in a dose dependent manner. In carrageenan assay, the highest activity was observed for
Withania coagulans
(70.0%) followed by
Quercus dilatata
(66.7%) and
Hedera nepalensis
(63.3%). Similar behavior was observed in histamine assay with percentage inhibitions of 74.3%, 60.4%, and 63.5%, respectively. Antidepressant activity was estimated by forced swim test and the most potent activity was revealed by
Withania coagulans
with immobility time 2.2s (95.9%) followed by
Hedera nepalensis
with immobility time 25.3s (53.4%). Moreover, the crude extracts of
Fagonia cretica
(74.6%),
Hedera nepalensis
(73.8%), and
Phytolacca latbenia
(67.3%) showed good anticoagulant activity with coagulation times 86.9s, 84.3s, and 67.5s, respectively. Collectively, the results demonstrate that these five plants have rich medicinal constituents which can be further explored.