Study of anti-inflammatory activity of ethanolic extract of Hemidesmus indicus roots in acute, subchronic & chronic inflammation in experimental animals

Abstract

Hemidesmus indicus, commonly known as "Anantmul," possesses various pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory activity. The present study is designed to investigate anti-inflammatory effect of ethanolic extract of Hemidesmus indicus (EEHI) on rats and mice. The anti-inflammatory effect is investigated employing acute anti-inflammatory models: carrageenan induced paw edema, leukocyte emigration, acetic acid-induced vascular permeability, mast cell degranulation in rats; subchronic anti-inflammatory model: cotton pellet granuloma in mice; and chronic anti-inflammatory models: formailn induced arthritis, delayed type hypersensitivity using egg white lysozyme as an antigen. EEHI (100, 200 mg/kg, p.o) exhibited a dose-dependent and significant inhibition (P <0.05) in all the experimental models. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, steroid, terpenoid, saponins, tannins,. The extract produces no mortality in the dose up to 2000 mg/kg, p.o. The results obtained suggest marked anti-inflammatory activity of the EEHI and support the traditional use of this plant in inflammatory conditions.