Anti-inflammatory Activities of Extracts of Some Traditionally Used Medicinal Plants in Ethiopia on Carrageenan-Induced Mouse Paw Oedema

Abstract

Hydroalcoholic extracts of some traditional medicinal plants used in Ethiopia for the treatment of skin diseases, were investigated for their anti-inflammatory activities in carrageenan-induced mouse paw oedema at doses of 300 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg body weight. The extracts were obtained from the leaves of Bidens pilosa L. (Asteraceae), Malva verticillata L. (Malvaceae), Syzygium guineense DC. (Myrtaceae); and from the rhizomes of Ferula communis L. (Apiaceae), and from the aerial part of Ranunculus multifidus Forssk (Ranunculaceae). Except for the extract of F. communis, all the extracts showed oedema inhibition at both 300 and 500 mg/kg doses. The extract of R. multifidus displayed not only the greatest oedema inhibition at 300 mg/kg; it also exhibited better oedema inhibition than the reference drug indomethacin (10 mg/kg) three h after carrageenan injection. The extracts of B. pilosa, M. verticillata and S. guineense also demonstrated time and dose dependent inhibition of oedema. The anti-inflammatory activities of these plants may partially justify the rationale for their traditional use in the treatment of skin diseases.

Keywords: hydroalcoholic plant extracts, anti-inflammatory activity, carrageenan, mouse paw oedema inhibition, Ranunculus multifidus