Abstract
Benjakul (BJK) is a Thai traditional remedy consisting of five plants: Piper chaba Hunt., Piper sarmentosum Roxb., Piper interruptum Opiz., Plumbago indica Linn., and Zingiber officinale Roscoe. It is used as a first-line drug to balance patient's symptoms before other treatments. BJK ethanolic extract has been reported to show anti-inflammatory activity through various mediators, e.g., nitric oxide, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. Therefore, BJK could serve as a potential novel anti-inflammatory herbal medicine. However, studies on prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), one of the key mediators in acute inflammation, and anti-inflammation in animal models (in vivo) have not been done. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of BJK extract and some of its chemical compounds against PGE2 production in murine macrophage (RAW 264.7) cell line and two in vivo models of anti-inflammatory studies. Ethanolic extract of BJK (BJK[E]) showed high inhibitory activity against PGE2 production with an IC50 value of 5.82 ± 0.10 μg/mL but its water extract (BJK[W]) was inactive. Two chemicals from BJK[E], i.e., plumbagin and myristicin, which served as biological markers, showed strong activity with IC50 values of 0.08 ± 0.01 and 1.80 ± 0.06 μg/mL, respectively. BJK[E] was administered both topically and orally to rats inhibited with inflammation induced by ethyl phenylpropiolate (rat ear edema model) and carrageenan (hind paw edema model). Moreover, the biological activity of BJK extract did not reduce after six-month storage under accelerated condition (40°C, 75% RH). This indicated its stability and a 24-month shelf-life under normal condition. These results supported not only the use of BJK in Thai traditional medicine but also the possibility of further development of phytopharmaceutical products from BJK.
Highlights
IntroductionTo mitigate or reduce pain, over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) or corticosteroids pain relievers are recommended
Inflammation of muscles can affect people of all ages
high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chromatogram at 210 nm showed the presence of these markers in BJK extract (Figure 2). e peak identity was confirmed by the retention time and the scanned spectrum of each peak matching to that of pure standard. e quantitative analysis of each marker was done at different wavelengths that provided the best selectivity, i.e., 6-gingerol, myristicin, and 6-shogaol at 210 nm; plumbagin, at 254 nm; and piperine at 340 nm
Summary
To mitigate or reduce pain, over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) or corticosteroids pain relievers are recommended. Some of these drugs have some short-term or long-term negative side effects such as bleeding, indigestion, heart problems, and kidney issues. Some, such as opioids, may cause serious addiction. Ere are some powerful topical anti-inflammatory products which contain a single plant extract such as chili. By using a combination of herbs, negative side effects of active ingredients are kept to minimum by the supplementary herbs that may appear superfluous. erefore, the use of a combination of herbs is much preferred
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