Abstract Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a public health problem for the sub-Saharan African countries. This study was conducted to evaluate the antisickling and analgesic activities of aqueous and ethanolic extracts from the bark of Entandrophragma angolense, a plant used in traditional medicine as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory in the case of stomach or kidneys ache. The treatment of the erythrocytes with sodium metabisulfite at 2% has resulted in a significant increase in sickling cells. After treatment, the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of E. angolense decreased significantly the number of sickling cells. The analgesic activity was evaluated according to the test with acetic acid and the tail immersion test in rat. Treatment with the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of E.angolense at the dose of 200 mg/kg (P < 0.05) significantly reduced the number of writhing induced by acetic acid (1%). The peripheral analgesic action of E. angolense is similar to that of paracetamol at the dose of 100 mg/kg. Concerning the tail immersion, the treatment with the aqueous extract (200 mg/kg) has significantly protected the animals against the thermal stimulus comparatively to that of the ethanolic extract at the same dose. Therefore, the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of stem bark of E. angolense possess antisickling and analgesic properties. Phytochemical screening of the plant extracts has revealed the presence of tannins, polyphenols, flavonoids, saponins, triterpenes and steroids, which could be responsible for pharmacological properties.
Keywords Entandrophragma angolense, Sickle cell disease, Pain, Antisickling activity, Analgesic activity, Ivory Coast.