Neuropharmacological, Analgesic, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Pothos scandens Acetone Extract With GC-MS-Based Phytochemical Profiling

Pothos scandens, belonging to the Araceae family, locally known as “batilata,” is traditionally used for treating various chronic diseases in folk medicine, such as epilepsy, seizures, convulsions, wounds, snakebites, skin issues, asthma, muscle problems, and diarrhea. This research examined the anxiolytic, antidepressant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory potentials of the acetone extract of P. scandens whole plant (APS) on in vivo mice and rat models. The elevated plus maze (EPM) and hole board tests (HBTs) were carried out to assess the anxiolytic effects, while antidepressant activity with forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) and the acetic acid–induced writhing and formalin-induced licking tests on Swiss albino mice were used to evaluate the analgesic activity, and the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model was applied for anti-inflammatory effect. APS at 400 mg/kg exhibited significant anxiolytic (p<0.001) and antidepressant (p<0.01) effects. This study also demonstrated that APS has dose-dependent and significant analgesic effects for acetic acid–induced writhing (p<0.05) and formalin-induced licking tests (p<0.01), respectively, as well as anti-inflammatory (p<0.001) activities compared to the standard diclofenac sodium. Furthermore, 11 compounds were detected in the extract through GC-MS. These phytochemicals exhibited significant binding affinities, excellent pharmacokinetics, and a safe toxicological profile, as reported by in silico molecular docking and ADMET analysis. The outcomes of this study confirmed that the presence of bioactive compounds in APS offers it considerable potential as a multimodal therapeutic substance with neuropharmacological, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties.