EVALUATION OF THE ACUTE AND SUB-ACUTE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTY OF THE METHANOL EXTRACT

ABSTRACT

Cassytha filiformis L. also called love-vine is a leafless, climbing, parasitic vine in the Lauraceae family and has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of pain and inflammation. This claims however, needs to be validated, hence the need for the study. The study was aimed at evaluating the acute and sub-acute anti-inflammatory activity of the whole plant powder extract of Cassytha filiformis. The powdered whole plant was extracted using methanol by cold maceration for 72 hours, strained and dried in the oven at 40֯C for three days. Oral acute toxicity was carried out in rats using Lorke’s method by grouping 15 animals into two phases. The first phase 12 animals where divided into 4 groups of 3 animals each and they received 10, 100 and 1000mg/kg of the extract and the last group received distilled water and the animals were observed for toxicity for 24hours. The second phase 3 animal received 1600, 2900 and 5000mg/kg dose of the extract and toxicity were also observed. Test doses of 100, 200, and 400mg/kg of the extract were administered orally using the oro gastric tube and evaluated for anti-inflammatory properties using the Carrageenan induced paw edema, Dextran induced paw edema and formalin induced paw edema models of anti-inflammatory studies in albino rats. 0.1ml of 1%w/v carrageenan, 0.1ml of 1.5%w/v dextran in normal saline 0.2ml of 1%w/v of formaldehyde was administered into the rat right hind paw. Indomethacin (10mg/kg) and Distilled water (2ml/kg) was used as positive and negative controls respectively and administered orally using the oro gastric tubes. The oral acute toxicity revealed a wide safety margin of Cassytha filiformis as there was neither mortality nor signs of toxicity in both phases of Lorke’s method of acute toxicity. The results also showed that the methanol extract of Cassytha filiformis at test doses of 100, 200 and 400mg/kg produced significant (p<0.05) anti-inflammatory properties in the acute and sub- x acute inflammatory models when compared with the negative control. The effect of the extract is comparable to indomethacin. The result therefore supports the claim of the ethno medical use of the extract of Cassytha filiformis in the treatment of inflammatory conditions.