Abstract

The ethanol extract of the dried leaves of Mikania cordata (Family-Asteraceae) was investigated for its possible bioactive chemical groups and antinociceptive, cytotoxic and antibacterial activities in animal models. The extract produced significant writhing inhibition in acetic acid-induced writhing in mice at the oral dose of 125 and 250 mg/kg body weight (p<0.001) comparable to the standard drug diclofenac sodium at the dose of 25 mg/kg of body weight. The crude extract produced the moderate cytotoxic activity against brine shrimp Artemia salina(LC₅₀=90 and LC₉₀=166 µg/ml). The extract showed antibacterial activity against some types of microorganisms upon which the extract was employed. The obtained results provide a support for the use of this plant in traditional medicine and its further investigation.

Key words: Antimicrobial, antinociceptive, Asteraceae, cytotoxic, Mikania cordata.