AbstactCrude saponin extracts of five medicinal plants used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, gout and haemorrhoids were screened for anti-inflammatory activity using carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema test. These plants were the whole plant of Schwenkia americana Linn (WSA), the rhizomes of Asparagus africanus Lam (RAA), the leaves of Dichrostachys cinerea Linn (LDC), the stem bark of Ficus iteophylla Miq (BFI) and the leaves of Indigofera pulchra Willd (LIP). A modify traditional method of crude saponins extraction was used to give the following percentage yields: WSA-2.74%, RAA-3.59%, LDC-1.62%, BFI-0.81% and LIP-1.57% respectively. Thin-layer chromatography was used to identify the type of saponins present in the extracts. The acute toxicity study of the crude saponin extracts in mice gave the following intraperitoneal LD 50 : WSA-471.2mg/kg, RAA-1264.9mg/kg, LDC-1264.9mg/kg, BFI-118.3mg/kg and LIP-1264.9mg/kg respectively. The antiinflammatory study of the extracts showed statistically significant (P<0.05) decreases in the rat paw-oedema as compared to the control. The percentage inhibitions of the extracts after four hours were as follow: WSA-61%, RAA-55%, LDC-72%, BFI-66% and LIP-40% respectively. These values were found to be comparable to that of ketoprofen-63%. The study showed that the antiinflammatory properties attributable to these plants may be due to their saponins contents.
The bioactive ethyl acetate and N-butanol soluble parts of an ethanolic extract of Byrsocarpus coccineus leaves was subjected to column chromatography over silica gel G (60 -120µ) and repeated purification of the flavonoid rich fraction over sephadex LH-20 eluted with methanol led to the isolation of three flavonoid glycosides identified as quercetin 3-O-α-arabinoside (I), quercetin(II) and quercetin 3-β-D-glucoside. Their structures were elucidated by 1 H and 13 C-NMR data and are reported here for the first time in this plant.
The methanolic extract of the roots of Asparagus africanus Lam (Liliaceae) which contains mainly saponins and carbohydrate showed significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities (P<0.05) in the tailflick/hot-plate test and egg albumen-induced rat paw oedema tests that were comparable to the test drugs (morphine 20mg/kg and indomethacin 50mg/kg respectively). These results indicate that the extract possesses analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.