| Summary: | Queensley Eghianruwa,1,2 Omolaja Osoniyi,3 Naomi Maina,1,4 Sabina Wachira,5 Mabel Imbuga4 1Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Pan African University Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation, JKUAT campus, Juja, Kenya; 2Department of Biochemistry, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria; 3Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria; 4Biochemistry Department, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Juja, Kenya; 5Centre for Traditional Medicine and Drug Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, KenyaCorrespondence: Queensley EghianruwaDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Uyo, Uyo, NigeriaTel +2348024195501Email qaeghianruwa@uniuyo.edu.ngPurpose and Methods: In this study, the analgesic activity of the crude alcohol (acetone-methanol) and aqueous (in PBS, pH 7.2) extracts of the marine molluscs, Pachymelania aurita and Tympanotonus fuscatus, has been evaluated using the formalin test (for chronic antinociceptive) and the tail-flick (acute antinociceptive) pain models in male swiss albino mice.Results: The results show that the extracts of P. aurita and T. fuscatus demonstrated high safety margins as single doses of up to 2000 mg/kg bwt proved to be well tolerated and non-lethal, although the alcohol extract of P. aurita caused necrosis in the liver and kidney when administered at a dose level of 2000 mg/kg bwt. In the formalin test, treatment with the aqueous extracts of P. aurita and T. fuscatus as well as the alcohol extract of T. fuscatus 30 min before the subcutaneous injection of 5% formalin to the paw of the mice resulted in a significant time- and dose-dependent reduction in total and phase 2a pain-related behavior and thus nociception. The extracts had no analgesic effect in tail-flick test up to the highest dose tested.Conclusion: Hence, the results from both models indicate that the site of their analgesic action is probably peripheral.Keywords: Nigerian periwinkle, formalin test, anti-nociception and analgesia, marine natural products, bioactivity
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