The use of Nigella sativa (Kalozira) has been used for a long, in various countries as a spice, food preservative and remedy for the treatment of many disorders. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) against inflammation after single administration with 3 increasing doses in rats. The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated by paw oedema test. This experimental study was conducted in the department of Physiology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, from March 2016 to February 2017. For this purpose, 20 Long Evans rats of both sexes were divided into control (10 ml/kg of 1% solution of Tween 20) and experimental groups (NSO 0.5, with 0.5 ml/kg NSO; NSO 1, with 1 ml/kg NSO; NSO 1.5, with 1.5 ml/kg NSO) with 5 rats in each group. All the agents were given intraperitoneally (i.p) two and half an hour before the paw oedema test. The inflammation was lowered by all three doses (0.5, 1, 1.5 ml/kg; i.p) but the result was only significant at doses of 1ml/kg (p≤0.05) and 1.5 ml/kg (p≤0.01) groups, in comparison to that of control group. Therefore, it may be concluded that increasing the dose of NSO was progressively more effective in lowering inflammation, as observed in this study.

Keywords: Inflammation, Nigella sativa, Paw oedema test.