Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic, and Antipyretic Activities of Water Extract from Coscinium fenestratum (Gaertn.) Colebr.

Abstract

In Thai traditional medicine, Coscinium fenestratum is a herb that has been claimed to reduce hypertension and blood glucose in diabetes mellitus patients. In worldwide, C. fenestratum is claimed to treat and palliate many disorders such as inflammation, fever, and skin disease. Thus, the aim of this research was to determine the in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic properties of aqueous extract of C. fenestratum. From in vitro anti-inflammatory study, CF extract significantly reduced NO production while it did not harm availability of macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line. From in vivo study, the dose 1,000 mg/kg of CF extract showed the significant effect that was similar to that of diclofenac, a standard drug, to reduce paw edema in carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats. Yet, CF extract did not show any significant effect on arachidonic acid-induced paw edema model. In chronic inflammatory study, CF extract neither reduced granuloma formation and transudation nor affected the thymus weight, the body weight gain and the increase of alkaline phosphatase activity whereas prednisolone demonstrated marked reduction of all those parameters. Diclofenac showed significant reduction of transudative phase, granuloma formation, and alkaline phosphatase activity. In algesic models, CF extract demonstrated significant analgesia on writhing response in mice and tail flick test in rats. Furthermore, CF extract significantly reduced hyperthermia in antipyretic model. All of these results indicate that CF extract possesses anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities, which probably due to inhibiting the release of various inflammatory mediators such as NO, cytokines, and PGs. Therefore, it has a potential to be used as an alternative choice to relieve inflammation, pain, and fever.