ANTINOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF THE WATER EXTRACT OF MALAYSIAN SEA-CUCUMBER

The antinociceptive effect of the crude water extract of Malaysian sea cucumber of species, Stichopus sp1 was studied in mice using the hot- plate method, in comparison to the antinociceptive effect of oral dose s of morphine and aspirin. The effect of sea cucumber extract (SCE) wa s observed to be dose-dependent, having a threshold dose of 1 mg kg(-1 ) and a maximum dose of 300 mg kg(-1). The onset of analgesic activity was 60 minutes following oral administration of the sea cucumber extr act with the exception of 1 mg kg(-1) where the significant antinocice ptive effect was observed only after 90 min, reaching its peak at 150 minutes for all doses. Comparatively, the antinociceptive effect of as pirin occurred at 3 mg kg(-1) (60 min) and reached its peak at 300 mg kg(-1). The peak antinociceptive effects of aspirin and morphine were shorter (both 90 min), and whilst the threshold dose of morphine (0.3 mg kg(-1)) was approximately three fold lower than SCE (1 mg kg(-1))(1 ). The duration of antinociceptive effect of SCE, aspirin and morphine occurred in a dose-dependent manner, ranging from 5.0 - 5.5 h for SCE , 3.5 - 4 h for aspirin and 3.5 - 4.5 h for morphine, respectively. Ev en though, weight for weight SCE is equipotent to aspirin, apparently it possesses markedly higher efficacy than aspirin and three quarter t o that of morphine. The present data suggests that the water extract o f Malaysian sea cucumber possesses efficacious analgesic activity with a relatively long duration of action.