Planta Med 2013; 79 - PB10
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1351955

Anti-inflammatory activity of geraniin and aqueous extract of Phyllanthus muellerianus (Kuntze) Exell.

YD Boakye 1, C Agyare 2, WK Abotsi 3
  • 1Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutics, PMB, Kumasi
  • 2Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutics, PMB, Kumasi, Ghana
  • 3Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, PMB, Kumasi, Ghana

Phyllanthus muelllerianus (Kuntze) Exell. (Family Euphorbiaceae) is a tropical plant used for the management of menstrual disorders, fever and pains [1]. In this study, acute and chronic anti-inflammatory activity of aqueous leaf extract (ALE) of P. muellerianus and its isolate, geraniin, were investigated.

Anti-inflammatory activity of ALE (30, 100, 300 mg/kg) and geraniin (1, 10, 30 mg/kg) were assessed in the carrageenan-induced paw oedema test [2] and adjuvant induced-arthritis (AIA) tests in male Sprague-Dawley rats (150 – 200 g) [3]. Diclofenac and Aspirin were used as reference drugs.

ALE (at 300 mg/kg) and geraniin (at 10 mg/kg) showed significant (both p < 0.001) reduction in paw oedema in the carrageenan-induced paw oedema test in rats. The reference drug diclofenac also significantly reduced paw oedema at the dose of 50 mg/kg (p < 0.001). The anti-inflammatory activity of ALE and geraniin were dose-dependent (Fig 1). In the AIA, ALE (100 and 300 mg/kg) and geraniin (10 and 30 mg/kg) modified the time course curve and exhibited a dose-dependent oedema reduction in the ipsilateral paw. Aspirin (100 mg/kg) significantly (p < 0.001) inhibited polyarthritis oedema. Radiograph showed ALE- and geraniin- treated groups exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of bone erosion and deformation. Geraniin showed a slightly better activity than ALE. Blood analysis of ALE and geraniin showed reduction in WBC, ESR and increase in RBC, hematocrit and hemoglobin levels which reveal the anti-inflammatory activity of treatment. Geraniin showed a better anti-inflammatory activity than ALE.

ALE and geraniin exhibited in vivo anti-inflammatory activity.

References:

[1] Burkill (1994), Useful Plants of Africa, 121 – 122.

[2] Morris (2003), Methods in Mol Biol., 225:115 – 121.

[3] Goodson et al.(2003), Arthritis Rheum, 48(10):2979 – 82.