Assessment of antinociceptive activity of Achillea arabica kotschy methanol extract in an experimental mouse model

The aim of this study was to investigate the antinoniseptive activity of Achillea arabica kotschy (A. arabica) methanol extract in mice and to evaluate its possible effects on peripheral and central pain. In the study, 60 Swiss-albino male mice weighing 25-30 grams were used and randomly divided into 10 groups with 6 animals in each group. The mice were further divided into 5 groups for evaluation in the writhing and hot-plate tests. The groups were designed as follows: control (2% Tween 80), diclofenac sodium (50 mg/kg), and A. arabica methanol extract at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg. The results indicated that, in the acetic acid-induced pain model, the methanol extract of A. arabica significantly reduced the number of writhes in a dose-dependent manner compared to the control group, bringing it closer to the positive control group. The hot plate test revealed that the plant doses significantly increased the response latency to thermally induced pain. Analgesic activity showed a significant progressive increase in all doses at 60 min (p<0.05). In particular, the intermediate dose of the plant (200 mg/kg) prolonged the pain perception latency and brought it closer to the standard drug group. The results demonstrated that the methanol extract of A. arabica exhibited antinociceptive effects, supporting its potential use in alleviating both central and peripheral pain conditions in the two pain models. Further studies are needed to identify the active substances in the plant and to elucidate their mechanisms of action. This study provides an important basis for understanding the medicinal value of A. arabica and a resource for future research in this field. Keywords: Achillea arabica, Analgesic, Mouse, Hot-Plate, Writhing Test.