Studies of the anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities of the methanolic extract of Piper sarmentosum Roxb. leaves in rats

Abstract

The methanolic extract of Piper sarmentosum Roxb. leaves at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg was investigated for anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities on carrageenan-induced rat paw edema and brewer's yeast-induced pyrexia in rats. The results revealed that the extract at test doses produced a significant anti-inflammatory activity at 3 h with an inhibition of paw edema of 8.6% (P<0.05), 18.6% (P<0.01) and 24.7% (P<0.01), respectively, compared to the reference drug aspirin 200 mg/kg p.o. with an inhibition of 33.3% (P<0.01). Only the extract at the dose of 200 mg/kg p.o. showed a significant inhibition ofcarrageenan-induced rat paw edema beginning at 2 h of 11.8% (P<0.01) and at 3, 4 and 5 h of 24.7% (P< 0.01), 14.1% (P<0.01) and 11.9% (P<0.01), respectively, whereas the reference drug aspirin 200 mg/kg p.o. exhibited a significant inhibition of edema beginning at 1 h of 15.6% (P<0.05) and at 2, 3, 4 and 5 h of 31.8% (P<0.01), 33.3% (P<0.01), 30.4% (P<0.01) and 30.2% (P<0.01), respectively. The methanolic extract of P. sarmentosum leaves (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg p.o.) did not decrease brewerís yeast-induced pyrexia in rats, whereas aspirin at the dose of 200 mg/kg p.o. showed a significant antipyretic activity by reducing fever in this animal model. In acute toxicity test, the methanolic extract of P. sarmentosum leaves at the dose of 5g/kg did not produce any abnormal symptoms or mortality in rats.

Keywords

• Piper sarmentosum leaves
• anti-inflammatory activity
• antipyretic activity
• methanolic extract