Abstract
Objective:The main objective of this work was to study the antipyretic and antibacterial activity of C. erectus (Buch.-Ham.) Verdcourt leaf extract in an experimental albino rat model.Materials and Methods:The methanol extract of C. erectus leaf (MECEL) was evaluated for its antipyretic potential on normal body temperature and Brewer’s yeast-induced pyrexia in albino rat’s model. While the antibacterial activity of MECEL against five Gram (−) and three Gram (+) bacterial strains and antimycotic activity was investigated against four fungi using agar disk diffusion and microdilution methods.ResultYeast suspension (10 mL/kg b.w.) elevated rectal temperature after 19 h of subcutaneous injection. Oral administration of MECEL at 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w. showed significant reduction of normal rectal body temperature and yeast-provoked elevated temperature (38.8 ± 0.2 and 37.6 ± 0.4, respectively, at 2–3 h) in a dose-dependent manner, and the effect was comparable to that of the standard antipyretic drug–paracetamol (150 mg/kg b.w.). MECEL at 2 mg/disk showed broad spectrum of growth inhibition activity against both groups of bacteria. However, MECEL was not effective against the yeast strains tested in this study.ConclusionThis study revealed that the methanol extract of C. erectus exhibited significant antipyretic activity in the tested models and antibacterial activity as well, and may provide the scientific rationale for its popular use as antipyretic agent in Khamptis’s folk medicines.
Highlights
The results obtained from both MECEL-treated and standard drug-paracetamol-treated rats were compared with vehicle control (2% aqueous Tween-80 solution (v/v) and we observed a significant reduction in the yeast-elevated rectal temperature in rats [Table 2]
Preliminary pharmacological screening experiments were conducted with crude C. erectus leaf extracts, only the methanol fractions were found to exhibit significant antipyretic activity whose effect is comparable to that of standard drug-paracetamol reported in this study
This study showed that the MECEL possesses a significant antipyretic property in an experimental brewer's yeast-induced hyperthermia in rats
Summary
Chloranthus erectus (Buch.-Ham.) Verdcourt (Chloranthaceae) is a shrub distributed in shade habitat, near stream, and forest floor of tropical and temperate zone of Eastern Himalayan, Indo-Burma, and South East Asian region. [1],[2] C. erectus is one such plant listed in "materia medica" of Khampti's tribe written in Thai scripts with mentions of about 10-15 plants used in single herbal formulation to cure the common ailments of their locality. [3],[4] C. erectus is a popular folk medicine traditionally used by the Khampti tribe of Aruanachal Pradesh, India for curing localised swelling, joint pain, skin inflammation, wound healing, fever, and body ache. [3],[4] C. erectus is a popular folk medicine traditionally used by the Khampti tribe of Aruanachal Pradesh, India for curing localised swelling, joint pain, skin inflammation, wound healing, fever, and body ache. The Khampti tribes are good in herbal medicines and have a rich reservoir of plant traditional knowledge. [6],[7],[8] In our earlier study, the methanol extract of C. erectus leaf (MECEL) has shown significant anti-inflammatory activity. [9] On the basis of the traditional use of the plant as an antipyretic and wound healing agent, we have evaluated the MECEL for possible antipyretic activity in an experimental albino rat model and antibacterial activity by agar-disk diffusion method to substantiate the folklore claim. The effect of the methanol extract was compared with that of the standard drug-paracetamol, a well-known antipyretic agent
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