Evaluation of nitric oxide scavenging activity, in vitro and ex vivo, of selected medicinal plants traditionally used in inflammatory diseases.

Steroidal and non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs, despite their various side effects, are in great demand worldwide. Alternatively, herbal formulations provide relief to a large percentage of the population suffering from inflammatory diseases. Therefore, such practices need to be rationalized through a mechanistic approach. Thus, four traditional medicinal plants, namely Ventilago madraspatana Gaertn., Rubia cordifolia Linn., Lantana camara Linn. and Morinda citrifolia Linn. were selected for a study on the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO*), a key mediator in the phenomenon of inflammation, signifying the presence of effective antiinflammatory constituents therein. Plant samples were extracted with different solvents for evaluation of their inhibitory activity on NO* produced in vitro from sodium nitroprusside, and in LPS-activated murine peritoneal macrophages, ex vivo. Further, the inhibition of NO* synthesis was correlated with the reduction of iNOS protein expression through Western blot. Notable NO* scavenging activity was exhibited in vitro by some extracts of V. madraspatana, R. cordifolia and L. camara (IC(50) < 0.2 mg/mL). Most of them showed marked inhibition (60%-80%), ex vivo, at a dose of 80 microg/mL without appreciable cytotoxic effect on the cultured macrophages. Immunoblot analysis confirmed that the modulatory effect of the samples had occurred through suppression of iNOS protein.