Abstract
Bacopa monniera (L.) Wettst is a renowned plant in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. The present study seeks to identify the anti-inflammatory activity of two fractions from the methanolic extract of Bacopa, viz. the triterpenoid and bacoside-enriched fractions. The ability of these two fractions to inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 was tested using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells and peritoneal exudate cells in vitro. We found that triterpenoid and bacoside-enriched fractions significantly inhibited LPS-activated TNF-α, IL-6 and nitrite production in mononuclear cells. Significant antioxidant activity was exhibited by the bacoside enriched fraction compared to the triterpenoid fraction. Carrageenan-induced hind paw oedema assay revealed that triterpenoid and bacoside-enriched fractions exerted anti-oedematogenic effect, while in the arthritis model only the triterpenoid fraction exerted an anti-arthritic potential. The present study provides an insight into the ability of Bacopa monniera to inhibit inflammation through modulation of pro-inflammatory mediator release.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, Sasthra Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Standardized Bacopa extract was obtained as a gift from Natural Products Pvt Ltd., Bangalore, India.
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The authors declare that there were no conflicts of interest.
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Viji, V., Helen, A. Inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediators: role of Bacopa monniera (L.) Wettst. Inflammopharmacol 19, 283–291 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-010-0046-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-010-0046-4