Abstract
Erythroxylum cuneatum (E. cuneatum) which belongs to Erythroxylaceae family is a tropical flowering plant from the genus of Erythroxylum. It is used in Malaysia and Thailand's traditional medicines, yet there is limited scientific reports on its medicinal value. This study aimed at exploring the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of E. cuneatum alkaloid leaf extract. The alkaloid extract was obtained through Soxhlet heat extraction method, while the antioxidantive properties were assessed via 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and xanthine oxidase inhibition (XOI) assays. Further, anti-inflammatory property of the extract was evaluated on rat's model of carrageenan induced paw model of edema via physical measurements and histology. The extract exhibited antioxidant activity with an EC50 value of 1482 μg/ml in the DPPH radical scavenging assay, an EC1 value of 2191 μg/ml in the FRAP assay and 10.15 ± 6.20% in the XOI assay. Rats pretreated with the extract have shown dose dependent decrease in paw edema when compared to non-treated group of rats. The highest dose (50 mg/kg) of extract exhibited similar effects to aspirin in terms of reducing paw thickness, leucocytes infiltration and disruption of collagen. In conclusion, the E. cuneatum alkaloid leaf extract possesses both antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties suggesting its potentials for future development of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Highlights
Erythroxylum cuneatum (E. cuneatum) is a shrub which is locally known as Cinta mula, ketai mula, inai-inai or baka in Malaysia [1]
The present study showed that the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) values increased in direct proportion to the concentration of E. cuneatum alkaloid leaf extract
The results revealed that 25 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg of E. cuneatum alkaloid leaf extract worked similar to 300 mg/kg Aspirin, an established non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and a cyclooxygenase (COX-1 and 2) inhibitor, as no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) of paw edema thickness was observed between the aspirin pretreated group and the E. cuneatum pretreated groups of rats
Summary
Erythroxylum cuneatum (E. cuneatum) is a shrub which is locally known as Cinta mula, ketai mula, inai-inai or baka in Malaysia [1]. The plant was found to be rich in tropane alkaloid as reported earlier and used by the locals in Malaysia on women who had miscarriage [2]. Inflammation is the body response towards foreign substances such as pathogens, allergens, chemical irritants as well as injury which involves infiltration of leukocytes and generation of pro-inflammation factors to the injured site. Inflammation helps in mitigating the effects of harmful microorganisms and remove dead cells which may prevent further development of irritation and allows the injured tissue to recover to normal condition. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is the product of cellular aerobic metabolism giving rise to both harmful and beneficial effects to the body. Free radicals generation is one of the causes of inflammation, while excessive and persistent inflammation leads to undesirable pathologic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, neurogenerative diseases, cancer, asthma and inflammatory bowel disease [4]
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