<em>In vitro</em> antioxidant and <em>in vivo</em> anti-inflammatory activity of <em>Curcuma albiflora</em> Thw.

Abstract

Curcuma albiflora Thw. is a poorly explored plant which is termed as Harankaha locally. Among other Harankaha plants, C. albiflora is threaten and restricted to Sabaragamuwa province only. Therefore, current study was conducted to quantify phytochemicals in terms of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and prove or disprove its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity using ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), DPPH, ABTS+, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays, and carrageenan-induced paw oedema, formaldehyde-induced paw oedema, and cotton pellet induced granuloma tests in Wistar rats respectively. Whole plant extract from composite samples was prepared using 50% ethanol (in water) and 50% dichloromethane (in methanol) as solvents mixture by continuous extraction (6 h). Antioxidant values of TPC, TFC, and FRAP were 31.25 ± 1.48, 11.22 ± 0.13, and 17.90 ± 0.38 mg/g respectively. IC50 values (ppm) of DPPH and ABTS+ were 827.78 ± 6.06, and 188.84 ± 2.99 respectively. ORAC value was 128.10 ± 3.29 mg/g. The correlation of TFC was shown that it may link to flavonoid content. Since, C. albiflora inhibited (61% at 1h) 1st phase in the acute model, and at the late phase on sub-chronic model considering insignificant on cotton pellet granuloma test was shown that its anti-inflammatory activity (as 19.5% on 400 mg/kg) may not relate on prostaglandin. Further experiments are warrant to identify a mechanism of anti-inflammatory activity of C. albiflora.