Antioxidant and Anti‐inflammatory Effects of the Methanolic Extract of Potentilla indica Fruits

Abstract

Potentilla indica (Jacks.) Th. Wolf (Rosaceae) also known as mock strawberry, to which medicinal properties are attributed related to oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. A methanolic extract was obtained from the mature fruits of P. indica, and methanolic and chloroformic fractions of the extract were obtained by liquid‐liquid fractionation. The chloroformic fraction (1 mg/mL) presented the highest antioxidant activity by in vitro methods, 67.90% (TAC), 67.25% (DPPH) and 44.51% (ABTS). The anti‐inflammatory activity was tested using the carrageenan‐induced paw edema model in male Wistar albino rats (400 g). Ibuprofen was used as standard drug at concentration of 25 mg/kg of body weight. The methanolic extract and chloroformic fraction (dissolved in DMSO 5%) were administered topically and orally (by 28 days) at doses of 0.1, 1 and 10 mg/kg of body weight (50 μL). Control animals received an equal volume of vehicle. Edema was induced with 1% carrageenan to all the groups after four hour of treatments, and paw thickness was checked at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 h. Topical administration of the chloroformic fraction (1 mg/kg) decreased by 77.7% in paw thickness, and with oral administration decreased by 72% in paw thickness. The chloroformic fraction of methanolic extract of P. indica fruits had a high antioxidant activity and significantly decreased the inflammatory reactions induced by carrageenan.Support or Funding InformationSupport grant from CIC‐UMSNH (2.10 to RSG).