Pharmacological investigations of different extracts from the leaf of ipomoea fistulosa (Family: Convolvulaceae)

The aim of the study was to evaluate the antimicrobial,cytotoxic,anthelmintic,analgesic and neuropharmacological properties of the leaf of ipomoea fistulosa. the extracts of the leaf showed very mild antimicrobial activity compared with the standard drug,amoxycillin. the cytotoxic activity of n-hexane,dichloromethane and methanol extracts from the leaf of i. fistulosa were evaluated using brine shrimp lethality bioassay. the results showed very mild cytotoxicity with the lc50 value of 33.88,56.23 and 36.31μg/ml respectively while lc50 value of reference drug vincristine sulphate was 0.69 μg/ml. anthelmintic activity was found to be moderate by the investigation performed on pheretima posthuma. the analgesic activity of the methanol extract of leaf was evaluated by using acetic acid-induced writhing test and tail immersion method on swiss albino mice at a dose of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight. the writhing test displayed 51.53% and 64.96% of inhibition for the extract in acetic acid which is significant to the reference standard drug,diclofenac- na (72.16%) of inhibitation in acetic acid at a dose of 1 mg/kg body weight). the analgesic activity in tail immersion method was dose dependent. however,the neuropharmacological activity was tested by hole cross and open field test which revealed notable cns depressant property when compared to the standard drug,diazepam (1 mg/kg b.w.). over all,the extracts showed notable anthelmintic,analgesic and neuropharmacological activities. © 2015 dar publishers/the university of jordan. all rights reserved.