Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Woodfordia Fructicosa Leaves Ethanolic Extract on Adjuvant and Carragenan Treated Rats

Woodfordia fructicosa is used traditionally for the treatment of inflammation associated with arthritis.In the present study, the anti-inflammatory activity of W. fructicosa (WFE) leaves ethanolic extract was assessed in Sprague Dawley rats by giving 200 mg/kg dose orally. Inflammation was studied by using carrageenan induced paw edema, Freund’s adjuvant (FA) and monosodium iodo acetate (MIA) induced arthritis as animal models. Serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) was estimated in blood sample of animals treated with FA. The one way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s test was used for statistical analysis.WFE significantly decreased (P<0.05, P<0.001) paw thickness in carrageenan induced paw edema and FA induced arthritis. The significant decrease in knee diameter (P<0.001) in MIA induced arthritis as well as inhibitory effect (P<0.001) on elevated TNF-α was observed.These results showed that the WFE exerted an inhibitory effect on TNF-α and carrageenan paw edema which may justify its traditional use in inflammatory conditions. Thus, the study shows that leaves of W. fruticosa afford anti-inflammatory activity by preventing the inflammation in different animal models.