Acta Pharm. 52 (2002) 213-218

Preliminary studies on anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive effects of the aqueous extract of Chrysanthellum indicum

SAMSON AMOS^1*,  MOHAMMED ADAMU¹,  LUCY BINDA¹,  ISAAC EDMOND¹,  OLUYEMISI F. KUNLE²,  PETER AKAH¹,  CHARLES WAMBEBE¹  AND KARNIYUS GAMANIEL¹

samsonamos@yahoo.co.uk

¹Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
²Department of Medicinal Plant and Traditional Medicine, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development,
P. M. B. 21, Abuja FCT, Nigeria 

The aqueous extract of Chrysanthellum indicum (Compositae) was investigated for anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activity. The anti-inflammatory activity was tested against egg-albumin induced oedema, while the analgesic effects were studied using the acetic acid induced writhing in mice. The results revealed that the aqueous extract of C. indicum posseses a significant and dose-dependent anti-inflammatory effect. The extract also inhibited abdominal constriction dose-dependently. The intraperitoneal LD₅₀ in mice was found to be 282.2 mg kg^-1. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of glycosides, flavonoids, tannins and alkaloids. The results of this study indicate the presence of biologically active substance(s) that may be beneficial in the management of pain and inflammation.

Keywords: Chrysanthellum indicum (Compositae), aqueous extract, analgesia, anti-inflammation, flavonoids