Abstract

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS FRUIT PULP EXTRACT OF BURSERA PENICILLATA IN ACUTE AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATION

Ashok. T*, Bhattu Rajesh Nayak, G. L. N. Raju,Dasi Tarun, Praveen Sripathi

Abstract

The anti-inflammatory effect of the aqueous fruit pulp extract of Bursera penicillata was evaluated using the carrageenan- and dextraninduced rat paw edema, xylene-induced ear edema and formalininduced arthritis inflammation tests. Oral administration of the extract produced significant (p < 0.05) antiedematogenic effect with a dose of 500 mg/kg throughout the period of the experiment in the dextran induced paw edema and at the 3 h in the carrageenan model. The extract (250 and 500 mg/kg) exhibited a dose-related and significant (p < 0.01) inhibition of xylene induced ear edema and the effect was similar to that produced by dexamethasone (1 mg/kg). In the chronic inflammation (formalin induced arthritis) the extract did not show any significant anti-inflammatory activity. Oral acute toxicity assays did not show any mortality at 15 g/kg of the plant extract. The results indicate that the aqueous extract of Bursera penicillata possesses acute inflammatory activity which may be mediated by either inhibition or by blocking the release of prostaglandins and histamine, thus supporting the usage of the plant in traditional medicine treatment of inflammation.

Keywords: anti-inflammatory, arthritis, edema.