Evaluation of the antinociceptive activity of Ficus deltoidea aqueous extract M.R. Sulaiman a, ⁎ , M.K. Hussain a , Z.A. Zakaria b , M.N. Somchit a , S. Moin a , A.S. Mohamad a , D.A. Israf a a Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia b Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi Mara, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia Received 11 June 2008; accepted 18 June 2008 Available online 10 July 2008 Abstract The aqueous extract of Ficus deltoidea leaves was evaluated for possible antinociceptive activity in three models of no- ciception, namely, acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing, formalin and hot plate test. The results of the present study showed that intraperitoneal administration of the F. deltoidea leaves aqueous extract at the dose of 1, 50 and 100 mg/kg, 30 min prior to pain induction produced significant dose-dependent antinociceptive effect in all the models used, which indicating the presence of both central and peripherally mediated activities. Furthermore, the antinociceptive effect of the extract in the formalin and hot plate test was reversed by the non-selective opioid receptor antagonist naloxone suggesting that the endogenous opioid system is involved in its analgesic mechanism of action. Thus, the present results demonstrated that F. deltoidea leaves aqueous extract contains pharmacologically active constituents which possess antinociceptive activity justifying its popular therapeutic use in treating conditions associated with the painful conditions. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Ficus deltoidea; Antinociceptive; Acetic acid-induced abdominal constriction test; Formalin test; Hot plate test 1. Introduction Ficus deltoidea is an epiphytic shrub which is native and widely distributed in several countries of the Southeast Asia. In Malaysia, it is commonly known as Mas cotek, serapat angin, telinga beruk and other names [1]. Different parts of the plant are used traditionally to treat various kinds of ailments.The fruits are chewed to relieve headache, toothache and cold; powdered root and leaves of the plant has been applied externally to wounds and sores, and around the joints for relief of rheumatism. Decoction or infusion from the whole plants is a well known traditional herbal drink for women after childbirth to help strengthen the uterus. Moreover it improves blood circulation, regain energy and it is believe to enhance sexual desire (personal communication from local people where the plant was collected). Besides being one of the popular herbs used in Malay traditional medicine, the pharmacological properties of this plant have not yet been studied, only Fitoterapia 79 (2008) 557 – 561 www.elsevier.com/locate/fitote ⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +6 03 89472603; fax: +6 03 89472585. E-mail address: mrs@medic.upm.edu.my (M.R. Sulaiman). 0367-326X/$ - see front matter © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2008.06.005