Planta Med 2010; 76 - P655
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1264953

Evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf on an in vivo acute inflammation model

A Garcia 1, M Veloso 1, A Figueirinha 2, G Costa 1, M Caramona 3, M Castel-Branco 3, I Figueiredo 3, M Batista 3
  • 1Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000–548 Coimbra, Portugal
  • 2Instituto Politécnico de Viseu and Centro de Estudos Farmacêuticos da Universidade de Coimbra, Campus Politécnico de Repeses, 3504–510 Viseu, Portugal
  • 3Faculdade de Farmácia and Centro de Estudos Farmacêuticos, Universidade de Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000–548 Coimbra, Portugal

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf.), an Indian native herb belonging to the family of Poaceae, is used in popular medicine with a wide range of indications such as digestive and nervous disorders, inflammation, fever, diabetes [1,2]. In a previous study it was proved that, under inflammatory conditions, an essential oil-free infusion of C. citratus leaves allowed the cell viability and conferred significant reduction of the nitric oxide production in dendritic cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide [3]. Based on these findings, the aim of this work was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of an essential oil-free infusion of C. citratus leaves (CcE) in an animal model of acute inflammation. The carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema model was used [4], employing diclofenac as reference drug (10mg/kg). The test groups received the aqueous extracts at the doses of 200mg/kg (D1) and 400mg/kg (D2) p.o. The anti-inflammatory potency of the drugs was calculated at 4h after carrageenan administration and was expressed as percentage of oedema inhibition for the treated animals, with respect to the carrageenan control group. The results obtained were 39.00% for D1, 73.10% for D2 and 75.88% for positive control group, suggesting that oral treatment with CcE significantly prevents carrageenan-induced swelling in a dose-dependent manner, the potency of the higher CcE dose tested being comparable with that of the reference drug used.

Acknowledgements: FCT and POFC/FEDER for financial support. Research supported by FCT PhD fellowship SFRH/BD/41283/2007 and the project FCOMP-01–0124-FEDER-011096 (ref FCT PTDC/SAU FCF/105429/2008).

References: 1. Carvajal D, et al. (1989)J Ethnopharmacol. 25: 103–107.

2. Lorenzetti, BB et al. (1991)J Ethnopharmacol. 34: 43–48.

3. Figueirinha, A. et al. (2010)J Med Food 13 (in press).

4. Green, AY et al. (1971) Br J Pharmac 41: 132–139.