Anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive and total polyphcnolic content of hydroethanolic extract of Ocimum gratissimum L. leaves

Abstract

Background: Ocimum gratissimum has been reported in several ethnopharmacological surveys as a plant readily accessible to the communities and widely used with a lot of therapeutic potentials. In this study, we aimed to experimentally evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of hydro-ethanol c extract in animal models of inflammation and nociception and membrane stabilization assay Method: 0 gratissimum leaves hydroethanolic extract was subjected to phytochemical screening and spectrophotometry quantification of polyphenolics. The extract was investigated for anti-inflammatory effects in carrageenan -induced paw oedema and cotton pellet - induced granuloma in rats. The antinociceptive effects were investigated in acetic acid -induced writhing in mice and formalin testing rats. Animals were randomly divided into groups; negative control, extract treated (200 -800 mg/kg) and indomethacin (10 mg/kg) standard reference groups. In- vitro anti-inflammatory activity was performed by testing for membrane stability in heat/hypotonic solution -induced rat erythrocytes destabilization assay. Result: Phytochemical screening revealed presence of saponins, tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and cardcnolidcs. Quantification of the polyphenolic content revealed the presence of appreciable quantities of phenolics and flavonoids. Carragccnan-induced paw edema, cotton-pellet granuloma, acetic acid -induced writhing and formalin induced paw licking tests showed that hydroethanolic extract of O. gratissimum possess anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive effects. The extract did not induce gastric lesion formation in stomach of cotton-pellet granuloma rats. The extract was more efficient at reducing membrane destabilization than indomethacin in the membrane stability assay