Abstract
BackgroundMany plants of genus Cordia are traditionally used as astringent, anti-inflammatory, anthelminthic, antimalarial, diuretic, febrifuge, appetite suppressant and cough suppressant and to treat urinary infections, lung diseases and leprosy. The aim of the study is to determine the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of total ethanol extract and different fractions of C. myxa L. leaves, in addition to evaluation of some pharmacological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic and antidiabetic effects.MethodsAir dried powder of C. myxa leaves were extracted using 95% ethanol and fractionated successively with petroleum ether, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and finally with n-butanol. The fractions were concentrated and then investigated for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic and antidiabetic activities using phosphomolybidinum and DPPH assays, carrageenan-induced paw edema, hot plate, yeast -induced pyrexia and streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemia methods, respectively.ResultsThe ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest antioxidant activity with high phenolic and flavonoid contents (31.03 ± 0.15 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dried weight and 811.91 ± 0.07 mg rutin equivalent/g dried weight, respectively). Dichloromethane and ethyl acetate fractions exhibited higher anti-inflammatory activity with percentages of inhibition 45.16% and 40.26%, respectively, which were quite comparable to that of indomethacin (51.61%). The petroleum ether and dichloromethane fractions showed the highest analgesic activity with reaction time 289.00 ± 3.00 and 288.33 ± 20.82, respectively. Evaluation of antipyretic activity revealed that the total ethanol extract and different fractions showed high antipyretic activities after 2 h, which were very close to that of the standard acetyl salicylic acid with a rapid onset (30 min). The total ethanol extract and the petroleum ether fraction exhibited the most potent hypoglycemic effect with a significant reduction in blood glucose level especially after 3 h to 95.67 ± 5.77 mg/dl and 87.67 ± 10.26 mg/dl, respectively and percentages decrease in blood glucose level were 68.22% and 70.78%, respectively.ConclusionCordia myxa L. extract and fractions exhibited antioxidant, anti-inflammatory analgesic, antipyretic and antidiabetic activities which may be attributed by the presence of active phytoconstituents.
Highlights
Many plants of genus Cordia are traditionally used as astringent, anti-inflammatory, anthelminthic, antimalarial, diuretic, febrifuge, appetite suppressant and cough suppressant and to treat urinary infections, lung diseases and leprosy
Raw fruits contain a gum which can be used beneficially in gonorrhea. They can remove pain from the joints and the burning of the throat, effective in treating the diseases of the spleen, and are used as a demulcent in southern Iran [1]. For this reasons the current study evaluate some pharmacological activities of total ethanol extract and different fractions of C. myxa L. leaves including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antidiabetic and antimalarial effects
Acute toxicity Concerning the safety of C. myxa L. plant, a preliminary toxicity study showed no mortality up to a dose level of 2500 mg/Kg and this was in accordance with published data which reported that both the leaves and the fruits are safe and edible in India and other countries [14, 15]
Summary
Many plants of genus Cordia are traditionally used as astringent, anti-inflammatory, anthelminthic, antimalarial, diuretic, febrifuge, appetite suppressant and cough suppressant and to treat urinary infections, lung diseases and leprosy. Various chemical constituents isolated and characterized from Boraginaceous plants, including pyrrolizidine alkaloids, naphthaquinones, flavonoids, terpenoids, triterpenoids and phenols [2]. Cordia is an important and representative genus of this family that could grow as trees, shrubs or sometimes subscandents [1]. The genus Cordia originates from tropical and subtropical regions. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are generally present as esters. More than 200 pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been isolated from these plants. These alkaloids are cytotoxic and cause poisoning, Cordia myxa was reported to contain the nontoxic alkaloid macrophylline [2]
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