Evaluation of analgesic and antiinflammatory activity of Ophiorrhiza nicobarica, an ethnomedicine from Nicobar Islands, India

Abstract

SUMMARYThis study reports the analgesic, anti-inflammatory and membrane-stabilizing property of alcoholic extract of Ophiorrhiza nicobarica (ON), a wild herb, used as an anti-infective ethnomedicine of Nicobarese and Shompen tribes of Great Nicobar Island, India. We for the first time investigated the analgesic and antiinflammatory potential of this herb in acute, subacute and chronic model of inflammation in Swiss albino mice and Wistar albino rats, along with sheep RBC-induced sensitivity and membrane stabilization. The acetic acid induced writhing, tail flick and tail immersion tests are used as a model for evaluating analgesic activity; while the carrageenin-induced paw oedema was used as the model for acute inflammation, dextran-induced oedema as sub-acute and cotton-pellateinduced granuloma as chronic inflammatory model. The probable mode by which ON mediate its effect on inflammatory conditions was studied on sheep RBC-induced sensitivity and membrane stabilization. The in vitro results revealed that the ON extract possesses significant (P < 0.05) dose dependent analgesic and antiinflammatory activity at 200 and 300 mg/kg and its fractions at 50 mg/ kg, p.o. respectively, compared to the control groups. However, the extract failed to exhibit membrane-stabilizing property as it unable to reduce the level of haemolysis of RBC exposed to hypotonic solution. The acute toxicity studies of ON extract in rats and mice revealed that the extract was nontoxic even up to 3.0 g/kg body weight of the animals, with a high safety profile. We have isolated ursolic acid, β-sitosterol and harmaline respectively, from the bioactive part of the extract. The results indicated that the O. nicobarica is indeed beneficial in primary health care, and suggest that its anti-inflammatory activity may not be related to membrane-stabilization.

An Indole Alkaloid from a Tribal Folklore Inhibits Immediate Early Event in HSV-2 Infected Cells with Therapeutic Efficacy in Vaginally Infected Mice

“…In our previous studies, we reported the moderate anti-inflammatory [22] and antimicrobial [23] activities of this plant extract. However, the present phytochemical investigations of active extract revealed three fractions, of which fractions A yielded an antivirally weak triterpene ursolic acid, while the fraction B contain antivirally inactive β-sitosterol.…”

“…Thus, new drugs with novel mode of action are required for the management and prevention of HSV infections. Here, we report the isolation of an antiviral compound from Ophiorrhiza nicobarica (International plant index Id: 758538-1), a traditional herb used by the Shompen and Nicobarese tribes of the Nicobar Islands, India, against skin ailments [21], having antimicrobial and antiinflammatory activities [22,23] with significant anti-HSV-2 activity. Further, we have demonstrated the in vitro mode of action and therapeutic efficacy of the isolated compound in Balb/C mice vaginally infected with HSV-2.…”

Genus Ophiorrhiza: A Review of Its Distribution, Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, Biological Activities and Propagation

“…The Western Ghats are known as one of the diversity centres of Ophiorrhiza species following the Western Himalayas, which comprise of about 22 distributed taxa for the species [10]. Some of them that can be found in Andaman and the Nicobar islands of India include O. infundibularis Balakr, O. mungos L, O. nicobarica Balakr, and O. trichocarpa BL [11]. Meanwhile, about 30-35 species are documented in the shady and moist-to-wet areas in Thailand's lowland and mountain forests both [3], whereas Peninsular Malaysia is home to 21 species [6].…”

“…The Rubiaceae family is known with its capability of producing bioactive metabolites such as iridoids, indole alkaloids, anthraquinones, terpenoids (i.e., diterpenes and triterpenes), flavonoids, and many other derivatives of phenolic compounds, which result in their respective significant pharmacological activities [46]. The phytochemical analyses done for several species of Ophiorrhiza (Rubiaceae) have revealed the positive presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, and triterpenes, specifically in O. radicans [10], O. mungos [5], O. liukiuensis [37], and O. nicobarica [11]. Furthermore, some of the important phytochemicals found in most Ophiorrhiza species include camptothecin and its derivatives, namely pumiloside, luteolin, harman, tetrahydroalastonine, bracteatine, blumeanine, strictosidinic acid, and lyalosidic acid [49].…”

“…It consists of a pentacyclic ring structure, which includes a pyrrole (3,4β) quinoline moiety and an asymmetric centre within the α-hydroxyl lactone ring with 20S configuration [7]. Additionally, the pumiloside (12) and deoxypumiloside (13) found in O. pumila are further considered as the precursors for the biosynthesis of camptothecin (11). This is attributable towards their formation from the half structure of camptothecin (11) and half structure of strictosamide ( 14) accordingly [32].…”