In vivo anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of Albizia zygia D. C. Macbr.

Non-communicable diseases which were often thought to be public health problems of only high income countries is now a living reality in low-income countries. The changing disease landscape and increasing burden of non-communicable diseases, particularly in the African Region, threatens to overwhelm already over-stretched health services. It is estimated that 80% of deaths from non-communicable diseases occur in low and middle-income countries [1]. In Africa, up to 80% of the population uses traditional medicine for their primary health care [2,3]. It is therefore of the utmost importance that studies are conducted into herbal medicines that are used for the treatment of non-communicable diseases. Albizia zygia D. C. Macbr. (Family Mimosaceae) is an herb that is widely used by traditional healers in Africa. Various parts of this plant are used for medicinal purposes in the treatment of ophthalmia, bronchial disease, fever, malaria, female sterility amongst other [3]. The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the ethanol leaf and stem bark extracts of A. zygia. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the ethanol extracts were assessed using the DPPH [4] and carrageenan-induced oedema⁵ methods, respectively. The extracts demonstrated antioxidant activities, giving IC₅₀ of 18.27 µg/mL and 0.114 µg/mL for the leaf and stem-bark extracts respectively. In the anti-inflammatory activity, chicks treated with the leaf extract showed significant reduction in oedema at concentrations of 600 mg/kg (p< 0.009) and 1000 mg/kg (p< 0.0009). The stem bark extract also showed a significant reduction in oedema at concentrations of 300 mg/kg (p< 0.0015) and 1000 mg/kg (p< 0.0148) (Figure below). With the exception of flavonoids which were present in the leaf extract, similar secondary metabolites were found in both the leaf and stem bark extracts, being glycosides, tannins, saponins and triterpenoids. In Conclusion, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of the extracts from A. zygia may contribute to its usefulness in remedying inflammatory ailments such as, the ones for which this herb is used to treat.

Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Mr. Eric Gyebi for the collection of the plant materials and the technical assistance provided by Mr. Thomas Ansah, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana for the technical assistance in the animal studies.

Keywords: Albizia zygia, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, carrageenan-induced oedema.

References:

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