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Acute and chronic anti-inflammatory properties of the stem bark aqueous and methanol extracts of Sclerocarya birrea (Anacardiaceae)

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Abstract

Sclerocarya birrea is used in folk medicine for the treatment of inflammatory disorders. The effect of the stem bark aqueous and methanol extracts of S. birrea (150 or 300 mg/kg) was evaluated on carrageenan-, histamine- or serotonin-induced paw oedema in rats. The methanol extract of S. birrea (300 mg/kg) being the most active, exhibited a maximum inhibition of 75.45 and 55.31% on carrageenan- and histamine-induced inflammation, respectively. When administered at 300 mg/kg, the methanol extract of S. birrea also exhibited 80.68% inhibition on the 10th day and 54.43% inhibition on the 21st day in formalin- or complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA)-induced paw oedema in rats. GSH level was significantly increased (75.14%), while MAD level was significantly decreased (31.22%) in the liver of CFA rats treated with S. birrea (300 mg/kg). The results suggest that the anti-inflammatory activity of the aqueous and methanol extracts of S. birrea is due to the inhibition of histamine and prostaglandin pathways and to its antioxidant activity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I, P.O. Box 812, Yaounde, Cameroon

    Agathe L. Fotio, Théophile Dimo, Esther Ngo Lemba, Roméo J. Temdie, Florence Ngueguim & Pierre Kamtchouing

  2. Department of Pathology and Immunology, CMU, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

    Agathe L. Fotio, Maria L. Olleros, Dominique Vesin & Irene Garcia

  3. Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon

    Télesphore B. Nguelefack & Paul D. D. Dzeufiet

  4. Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I, P.O. Box 812, Yaounde, Cameroon

    Etienne Dongo

Authors
  1. Agathe L. Fotio
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  2. Théophile Dimo
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  3. Télesphore B. Nguelefack
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  4. Paul D. D. Dzeufiet
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  5. Esther Ngo Lemba
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  6. Roméo J. Temdie
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  7. Florence Ngueguim
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  8. Maria L. Olleros
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  9. Dominique Vesin
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  10. Etienne Dongo
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  11. Pierre Kamtchouing
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  12. Irene Garcia
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Correspondence to Théophile Dimo.

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Fotio, A.L., Dimo, T., Nguelefack, T.B. et al. Acute and chronic anti-inflammatory properties of the stem bark aqueous and methanol extracts of Sclerocarya birrea (Anacardiaceae). Inflammopharmacol 17, 229–237 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-009-0011-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-009-0011-2

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