Anti-Inflammatory Potentials of the n-Hexane Fraction of Alstonia boonei Stem Bark in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation in Wistar Rats

Abstract

Background Inflammation is a protective response of the host to infections and tissue damage and medicinal plants have been used to regulate inflammatory response. The phytochemical contents of the n -hexane fraction of Alstonia boonei and their anti-inflammatory potentials in lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation were investigated in rat liver. Materials and Methods A quantity of 5 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce inflammation in twenty-five male Wistar rats, grouped (n = 5) and treated as follows: negative control (10 mL/kg saline), positive control (1 mg/kg ibuprofen); 50, 100 and 20 mg/kg of the n -hexane fraction of Alstonia boonei were administered to test groups. In another experiment, twenty rats (n = 5, without LPS) were administered the same doses of the n -hexane fraction of A. boonei and ibuprofen for seven days. At the end of the experiment, animals were sacrificed, serum was obtained from blood and liver mitochondria isolated in a refrigerated centrifuge. Mitochondrial permeability transition (mPT) pore opening and mitochondrial F 0 F 1 ATPase (mATPase) were determined spectrophotometrically. Serum interleukins 1β, 6 (IL-1β, IL-6), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP) and creatine kinase (CK), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), aspartate and alanine aminotransferases (AST and ALT,) of the animals in which inflammation was induced using LPS but treated with graded doses of n -hexane fraction of A. boonei were determined using the ELISA technique. The phytochemical contents of the n -hexane fraction of A. boonei were determined using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometer (UHPLC-MS). Results Calcium induced mPT in 8 fold and LPS induced mPT 14 fold in the negative control while the n -hexane fraction reversed mPT in the treated groups (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) to 2, 4, 4 folds, respectively. LPS treatment of the negative group enhanced F 0 F 1 mATPase activity, increased CRP, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 levels as well as CK, AST, ALT and GGT activities. These values were significantly reduced by 100 and 200 mg/kg of the n -hexane fraction. UHPLC-MS analysis of the fraction revealed the presence of terpenoids, phenolics and sphingolipids. Conclusion These results showed that bioactive phytochemicals present in the n -hexane fraction of A. boonei were not toxic, have an anti-inflammatory effect and could be used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

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“…The average Gensini score of MD-CAD [27.50 (16.00, 42.75)] was the lowest when compared with ND-CAD [39.50 (19.25, 66.75)] and HD-CAD [34.75 (24.75, 56.00)]. Also, the average level of CK-MB [CK-MB is a cardiac biomarker that represents cardiovascular injury (45)] in MD-CAD was the lowest when compared with non-drinkers and heavy drinkers, so as the level of hs-CRP [The level of hs-CRP represents the inflammation status in the human body (46), and chronic inflammation plays a central role in the development of cardiovascular disease (47)]. The other laboratory tests, such as total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-C, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), showed no significant difference among the three disease groups.…”