Assessment of Opuntia ficus-indica in vivo following ethnobotanical survey: Confirmation of its analgesic activity

Phytothérapie

pp 1–6

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• Authors and affiliations

• A. MouhaddachEmail author
• A. El-hadi
• K. Taghzouti
• M. Bendaou
• R. Hassikou

1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.

Pharmacoclinique

First Online: 

15 March 2017

DOI: 10.1007/s10298-017-1109-4

Cite this article as:

Mouhaddach, A., El-hadi, A., Taghzouti, K. et al. Phytothérapie (2017). doi:10.1007/s10298-017-1109-4

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Abstract

Opuntia ficus-indica (the cactus or prickly pear) is a cactus belonging to the Opuntiae family. Several Opuntiae plant parts have been used in traditional Moroccan medicine. In this study, we investigated its most common use as an analgesic. An ethnobotanical study of Opuntia ficus-indica was first conducted in 10 areas in Morocco. Extracts from Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes were obtained using a decoction method and its analgesic activity in mice was investigated by the hot plate and tail flick methods. Cladode extracts had significant (p < 0.05) analgesic activity at intraperitoneal doses of 300, 500, and 1000 mg/kg body weight. Both methods revealed significantly increased latency at all three doses (p < 0.05) compared to controls. These data suggest that the traditional use of this plant as an analgesic is valid; in fact, perhaps it may be a centrally-acting analgesic.

Keywords

Opuntia ficus-indica Cladode extracts Decoction Analgesic activity 

Place d’Opuntia ficus-indica dans la pharmacopée marocaine : confirmation de son activité analgésique

Résumé

Opuntia ficus-indica est une plante qui appartient à la famille des Opuntiae. Selon l’enquête ethnobotanique réalisée dans cette étude, les différentes parties de cette plante ont été utilisées par la population marocaine dans leurs pratiques de soins. Dans ce travail, notre intérêt a porté sur l’aspect médicinal de cette plante et particulièrement sur la validation de son effet antidouleur tant évoqué en usage traditionnel. Deux méthodes de stimulus thermique ont été utilisées pour rechercher les propriétés analgésiques du décocté aqueux des cladodes, à savoir: le test d’immersion de la queue et le test de la plaque chauffante. L’extrait aqueux des cladodes aux doses de 300, 500 et 1 000 mg/kg a montré significativement (p < 0,05) une augmentation dans le temps de latence par rapport au contrôle. Ce résultat a permis de valider scientifiquement les propriétés analgésiques de l’extrait aqueux d’Opuntia ficusindica utilisé en médecine traditionnelle.

Mots clés

Opuntia ficus-indica Extrait des cladodes Décoction Activité analgésique 

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