Antinociceptive activity of Pleurotus cystidiosus, an edible mushroom in rats

The antinociceptive potential of Pleurotus cystidiosus, an edible mushroom (family: Tricholomataceae) was investigated in male rats (doses used: 125, 500, and 1000 mg/kg) and female rats in the di-oestrous stage using the standard hot plate and tail flick tests. In the hot plate test, the reaction time was significantly (P < 0.05) prolonged in male rats after 2 h of administration (18 % mid and 93% high dose). The di-oestrous female rats also showed significant (P < 0.05) prolongation in the reaction time on the hot plate test (22 %) upon administration of the high dose. This antinociceptive activity had the peak effect at 2 h in male rats and the activity was dose dependent (r2 = 0.81, p < 0.05). In contrast, none of the rats showed an increase in reaction time in the tail-flick test. The acetone and methylene chloride extracts of P. cystidiosus was also orally administered to the rats and antinociceptive activity investigated. Only the acetone extract showed a marked and significant increase in reaction time on the hot plate test at 2 h (23% mid and 49% high dose). We conclude that the acetone extract retain the pain alleviating properties, however the whole mushroom has a better effect with 1000 mg/kg dose.