Cymbopogon citratus and Eucalyptus citriodora are widely used herbs/plants as a source of ethnomedicines in tropical regions of the world. In this work, we studied the anti-inflammatory and gastroprotective effects of C. citratus and E. citriodora essential oils on formol-induced edema, and acetic acid induced abdominal cramps in Wistar rats. To fully understand the chemically induced anti-inflammatory properties of these plants, we first analyzed the chemical composition of the essential oils. A total of 16 chemical constituents accounting for 93.69 % of the oil, were identified in C. citratus among which, Geranial (27.04 %), neral (19.93 %) and myrcene (27.04 %) were the major constituents. For E. citriodora, 19 compounds representing 97.2 % of the extracted oil were identified. The dominant compound of E. citriodora essential oil was citronellal (83.50 %). In vivo analysis and histological assay showed that the two essential oils displayed significant dose dependent edema inhibition effect over time. They displayed strong analgesic and antipyretic properties similar to that induced by 50 mg/kg of acetylsalicylate of lysine. However, the E. citriodora essential oil was more effective than that of C. citratus. We identified significant numbers of aldehyde molecules in both essential oils mediating antioxidant activity that may contribute to the anti-inflammatory effects observed on the rats. Altogether, this work demonstrates the anti-inflammatory property of C. citratus and E. citriodora suggesting their potential role as adjuvant therapeutic alternatives in dealing with inflammatory-related diseases.
The spasmolytic properties of the aqueous extract of Aframomum melegueta (K Schum) and Citrus aurantifolia (Christm and Panzer) (AMCA) mixture were tested on isolated rat trachea. Inhibition of the contraction was observed the in presence of the AMCA (EC 50 = 1.80 ± 0.48 mg/mL) after a pre contraction of the trachea by acetylcholine (10 -5 M). With propranolol (10 -6 M), the spasmolytic activity of the mixture was inhibited and the concentration-response curve shifted to the right. The EC 50 value was then 2.60 ± 0.41 mg/mL. AMCA also inhibited contraction induced by KCl (4.10 -2 M) with EC 50 value = 1.86 ± 0.65 mg/mL. These results clearly show the relaxing effect of the aqueous extract on the isolated rat trachea. This effect involved some β-adrenergic receptor inhibition.
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