Effects of the Ethanolic Extract of Bulbostylis coleotricha (Hochst.Exa. Rich.) on Inflammation in Adult Wistar Rats

Abstract

Bulbostylis coleotricha (family Cyperaceae) is a stem-tufted plant found in tropical region of Africa. It is locally used in treating various ailments among the African folks. Despite the high esteem this plant is held in Africa, there is dearth of scientific studies on B. coleotricha. This, in addition to the alarming increase in inflammatory diseases around the world, makes the present study to focus on the effect of the B. coleotricha extract on laboratory induced inflammation. Twenty-five adult Wistar rats, weighing between 225-287g were used for this experiment, and were randomly divided into five groups of five rats per group. The groups were labelled and treated as follow: Group 1, the negative control group, was treated with 10 ml/kg body weight (b. w.) of distilled water. Groups 2, 3 and 4, the treated groups, were treated with 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg/kg b. w. of ethanolic extract of B. coleotricha respectively. Doses were based on the local information on B. coleotricha usages. Group 5, the positive control group, was treated with 5mg/kg b. w. of indomethacin. In all the groups, the effects of all treatments were checked on induced inflammation using cotton pellet granuloma and carrageenan induced paw oedema model. The results in the two models used showed that ethanolic extract of B. coleotricha significantly inhibited inflammation in the treated groups. In the cotton pellet granuloma test the extract at the dose of 100 mg reduced granuloma formation from 30.2 ± 2.4 mg to 11.2 ± 2.6 mg reduced paw oedema from 7.0 ± 1.7 mm to 2.4 ± 0.8 mm (control is 100 mg/kg). In conclusion, this study established that Bulbostylis coleotricha plant is effective in the treatment of inflammation and can be explored in the treatment of various diseases with underlying inflammation.

Keywords: Bulbostylis coleotricha, Inflammation, Cotton Pellet Granuloma, Carrageenan-induced Paw Oedema