Anti-inflammatroy activity of the mehanolic extract of <i>Acanthus montanus</i>

Abstract

Acanthus montanus (Nees) T. Anders (Acanthaceae) is locally used in the treatment of cough, backache, chest pain and rheumatic pains. The ethno-medical uses of this plant and the need to establish its pharmacological effects have prompted this present study. The anti-inflammatory activity of the methanolic extract of Acanthus montanus was investigated using acute and sub-acute inflammatory models such as paw oedema, granuloma pouch and pleurisy in rats as well as xylene ear oedema in mice. Acanthus montanus was found to possess anti-inflammatory activity and was effective, orally, in suppressing various experimentally induced inflammatory reactions. Significant dose-dependent anti-inflammatory effects with doses of 100-400mg/kg were observed on acute inflammatory models such as carrageenan- and arachidonic acid-induced oedema, xylene-induced ear oedema in mice, carrageenan-induced granuloma pouch and pleurisy in rats. However, the extract did not inhibit egg albumin-induced oedema. On the basis of the study, it may be inferred that Acanthus montanus may be a useful anti-inflammatory agent, which inhibits cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways at the level of phospholipase A2 (PLA2). Keywords: Acanthus montanus, anti-inflammatory activity, rat paw oedema, xylene ear oedema, pleurisy, carrageenan.West African Journal of Pharmacology and Drug Research Vol. 21 (1&2) 2005: pp. 13-17