Background: Anxiety disorders and pain are common clinical conditions requiring long term pharmacotherapy. Although benzodiazepines and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs effectively manage these conditions, their prolonged use is associated with adverse effects. Consequently, there is growing interest in plant derived therapeutic agents with comparable efficacy and improved safety profiles. Vetiveria zizanioides possesses antioxidant and neuropharmacological properties. However, its anxiolytic and analgesic activities remain inadequately investigated. Hence this study evaluated the anxiolytic and analgesic effects of Vetiveria zizanioides in wistar albino rats.
Materials and Methods: Twenty four Wistar albino rats were randomly allocated into four groups (n=6 per group) for each experiment. For anxiolytic evaluation, separate groups received normal saline (control), diazepam (3 mg/kg), the alcoholic root extract of Vetiveria zizanioides at 200 and 400 mg/kg. The anxiolytic activity was assessed using the elevated plus maze. For analgesic evaluation, separate groups received normal saline, aspirin (100 mg/kg), the extract at 200 and 400 mg/kg. The analgesic activity was assessed by the tail flick method.
Results: Dose dependent anxiolytic and analgesic activities are noted. The 400 mg/kg dose significantly increased open arm entries compared with the control (p<0.05) and showed anxiolytic effects comparable to diazepam. It also significantly prolonged tail flick reaction time compared with the control and low dose groups (p<0.05).
Conclusion: The alcoholic root extract of Vetiveria zizanioides (400 mg/kg) showed significant anxiolytic and analgesic activities comparable to standard drugs, supporting its potential as a plant derived therapeutic agent. Further studies are needed to identify its bioactive phytoconstituents, the underlying mechanisms and to establish long term safety.
Keywords: Vetiveria zizanioides, Anxiolytic activity, Analgesic activity, Elevated plus maze, Tail flick method, Wistar albino rats.
How to cite this article: Bhuvaneswari S, Nasrin Nisha A, Jisha Justin J, Nilofa M., Preclinical Evaluation of Anxiolytic and Analgesic Effect of Vetiveria Zizanioides Root Extract with Comparison of Diazepam and Aspirin in Wister Albino Rats. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(71s): 613; DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.71s.73