Antipyretic properties of the aqueous and ethanol extracts of the leaves of Ocimum suave and Ocimum lamiifolium in mice

Bornyl acetate: A promising agent in phytomedicine for inflammation and immune modulation

BACKGROUND

Bornyl acetate (BA), as a bicyclic monoterpene, is an active volatile component widely found in plants across the globe. BA can be used as essence and food flavor agent and is widely used in perfumes and food additives. It remains a key component in several proprietary Chinese medicines.

PURPOSE

This review summarized the pharmacological activity and research prospects of BA, making it the first of its kind to do so. Our aim is to provide a valuable resource for those pursuing research on BA.

METHODS

Databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI were used based on search formula "(bornyl acetate) NOT (review)" from 1967 to 2022. For the relevant knowledge of TCM, we quoted Chinese literature. Articles related to agriculture, industry, and economics were excluded.

RESULTS

BA showed rich pharmacological activities: It inhibits the NF-κB signal pathway via affecting the phosphorylation of IKB and the production of IKKs, inhibits the MAPK signal pathway via inhibiting the phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, and p38, down-regulates pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, up-regulates IL-11, reduces NO production, regulates immune response via up-regulating CD86⁺, decreases catecholamine secretion, and reduces tau protein phosphorylation. In addition to the pharmacological activities of BA, its toxicity and pharmacokinetics were also discussed in this paper.

CONCLUSION

BA has promising pharmacological properties, especially anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. It also has sedative properties and potential for use in aromatherapy. Compared to traditional NSAIDs, it has a more favorable safety profile while maintaining efficacy. BA has potential for developing novel drugs for treating various conditions.

Sub-chronic toxicity of the aqueous leaf extract of Ocimum lamiifolium Hochst. ex Benth on biochemical parameters and histopathology of liver and kidney in rats: in vivo and in- silico toxicity studies

BACKGROUND

The aerial part of Ocimum lamiifolium is commonly used in Ethiopian traditional medicine. Although this plant is mostly used in traditional medicine, its safety profile has not been documented yet. The aim of this study was to assess the sub-chronic toxicity of O. lamiifolium aqueous extract in rats and to determine the toxicity profile of GC-MS identified bioactive compounds obtained from essential oil of O. lamiifolium using in silico toxicity methods.

METHODS

Eighty rats (40 male and 40 female) were randomly assigned to four groups of ten rats per sex/group. For 90 days, Groups I-III received 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg bw of aqueous extract of O. lamiifolium, respectively. Distilled water was given to Group IV (control). Clinical observations, food intake, and rat weight were all recorded during the experiment. In addition, several biochemical parameters, organ weight, and histology of the liver and kidney were all evaluated. For the in-silico toxicity study, GC-MS identified bioactive compounds in O. lamiifolium essential oil were obtained from published articles. The compounds two-dimensional structures were constructed using Chemdraw. The two-dimensional structures were converted into a simplified molecular input line entry system (SMILES) using the Swiss ADMET web tool. Furthermore, the toxicity parameters were predicted using the ProTox II server.

RESULTS

The administration of an aqueous extract of O. lamiifolium leaves significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the test animals' food intake and body weight gain. In the high dose (600 mg/kg bw) treated group, the serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase levels were significantly increased (p < 0.05). In female rats given 600 mg/kg bw of O. lamiifolium, the levels of serum urea were also increased. In addition, rats given 600 mg/kg bw had significantly lower blood glucose levels than the control group (p < 0.05). Doses up to 400 mg/kg bw didn't bring a significant change to the histology of the liver. However, in the high dose (600 mg/kg bw) treated group, some female rats' livers showed mild sinusoidal and central vein dilatation, as well as parenchymal necrosis. our findings showed that all compounds derived from the essential oil of O. lamiifolium showed no mutagenicity or cytotoxicity. However, 30% of the compounds tested were hepatotoxic, 20% carcinogenic, and 20% immunotoxin.

CONCLUSION

Our findings showed that oral administration of O. lamiifoliums aqueous extract up to a dose of 400 mg/kg bw is not toxic. However, high-dose (600 mg/kg bw) significantly affected the food consumption and weight gain of the experimental rats and the serum concentration of some liver and kidney enzymes were also significantly increased. Additionally, a considerable proportion of the tested compounds were predicted to be hepatotoxic, carcinogenic and immunotoxin. Furthermore, before employing O. lamiifolium preparations as drugs, a chronic toxicity research on the essential oil as well as its components that exhibited toxicity in the in-silico toxicity study is needed. Finally, use high doses of O. lamiifolium leaves with caution.

Antidiarrheal Effect of 80% Methanol Extract and Fractions of the Leaves of Ocimum lamiifolium in Swiss Albino Mice

Introduction

Worldwide, in children of under five years of age, diarrhea is responsible for more than 760,000 annual deaths. It is treated with both modern drugs and traditional medicinal plants, including O. lamiifolium. But the use of this plant as an antidiarrheal agent is not scientifically validated. Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate antidiarrheal efficacy of the plant.

Method

The leaf powder was macerated by 80% methanol and then fractionated using n-hexane, n-butanol, and distilled water. Antidiarrheal activity was evaluated through different models (castor oil-induced diarrhea, enteropooling, and motility) using onset, number of wet feces, fluid content, weight and volume of intestinal content, and motility as test parameters by administering treatment doses to groups of mice. Group I received 10 mL/kg of the dissolving vehicle, Group II received either loperamide or atropine, and Groups III-V received extract doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, respectively. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the data, followed by Tukey's post-hoc test.

Results

The crude extract exhibited a significant effect on the fluid content of feces at all tested doses. Additionally, the n-butanol and distilled water fractions revealed significant effects on onset of diarrhea at 400 mg/kg (p < 0.05), while the n-hexane fraction showed significant effects on number of wet feces, onset, and fluid content of feces at all tried doses. The crude extract and all the fractions (at 200 and 400 mg/kg) decreased the weight and volume of intestinal content significantly. Similarly, both the crude extract and distilled water fraction at 400 mg/kg as well as n-butanol and n-hexane fractions at 200 and 400 mg/kg showed meaningful differences on peristaltic index as compared to the negative control.

Conclusion

The results revealed that the leaf extract of O. lamiifolium has an antidiarrheal activity, which supports the traditional medical practice.

Synthesis of Copper Oxide-Based Nanoformulations of Etoricoxib and Montelukast and Their Evaluation through Analgesic, Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Pyretic, and Acute Toxicity Activities

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) were synthesized through the coprecipitation method and used as nanocarriers for etoricoxib (selective COX-2 inhibitor drug) and montelukast (leukotriene product inhibitor drug) in combination therapy. The CuO NPs, free drugs, and nanoformulations were investigated through UV/Vis spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, SEM, and DLS. SEM imaging showed agglomerated nanorods of CuO NPs of about 87 nm size. The CE1, CE2, and CE6 nanoformulations were investigated through DLS, and their particle sizes were 271, 258, and 254 nm, respectively. The nanoformulations were evaluated through in vitro anti-inflammatory activity, in vivo anti-inflammatory activity, in vivo analgesic activity, in vivo anti-pyretic activity, and in vivo acute toxicity activity. In vivo activities were performed on albino mice. BSA denaturation was highly inhibited by CE1, CE2, and CE6 as compared to other nanoformulations in the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity. The in vivo bioactivities showed that low doses (5 mg/kg) of nanoformulations were more potent than high doses (10 and 20 mg/kg) of free drugs in the inhibition of pain, fever, and inflammation. Lastly, CE2 was more potent than that of other nanoformulations.

Molecular docking analysis and evaluation of the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the constituents of Ocimum cufodontii

Ocimum cufodontii ((Lanza) A.J.Paton) has been traditionally used in Ethiopia against bacteria. The extracts of the leaves and roots of O. cufodontii after silica gel column chromatography furnished compounds 1–5, compounds 3 and 4 are new natural products. The oil from the hydro-distillation of the leaves, after analyzed with GC–MS, has led to the identification of β-caryophyllene as a principal component, suggesting the essential oil as medicine and spices to enhance the taste of food. The constituents of O. cufodontii were assessed for their antibacterial activity against E. coli, K. pneumonia, S. typhymurium and S. aureus. The best activity was displayed against S. aureus by the hexane extract of the roots, compound 4, and the essential oil with an inhibition zone of 17, 15, and 19 mm, respectively. Molecular docking analysis revealed that compound 1 has better docking efficiency and forms hydrophobic interactions with five amino acids (ARG192, PHE196, GLU185, GLU193, and LYS189). This suggests that the compounds may act as potential inhibitors of DNA gyrase. The constituents were also assessed for their antioxidant activities using DPPH, ferric thicyanate and ferric reducing power assay. The hexane extracts of the roots inhibited the DPPH radical and peroxide formation by 90.5 and 83%, respectively, suggesting the potential of the extract as an antioxidant. Furthermore, the hexane extract of the roots of O. cufodontii exhibited the maximum reducing power compared with the EtOAc and methanol extracts. Hence, the activity displayed herein indicated as the plant has great potential as a remedy for diseases caused by bacteria and radicals.

Pharmacological Evaluation of Antipyretic and Antioxidant Activities of 80% Methanol Root Extract and Derived Solvent Fraction of Echinops kebericho M. (Asteraceae) in Mice Model

Background

Toxicity and untoward effects are very ostensible in most standard drugs including antipyretic agents. Searching for conceivable antipyretic drugs with minimal toxicities and side effects from traditional plants is a growing concern to date. Echinops kebericho M. (Asteraceae) is one of the most prominent traditional medicinal plants, which is frequently testified for its traditionally claimed uses of treating fever and different infectious and noninfectious disorders by traditional healers in Ethiopian folk medicine. However, this plant has not been scientifically assessed for its traditionally claimed uses. This study therefore is aimed at investigating the antipyretic and antioxidant activities of 80% methanol root extract and the derived solvent fraction of Echinops kebericho M. in mouse models.

Methods

Successive solvent maceration with increased polarity was used as the method of extractions, and chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water were used as solvents. After extraction, the crude extract and its derived solvent fractions were assessed for their antipyretic activities using yeast-induced pyrexia while, the antioxidant activities were measured in vitro using the diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay method. Both the extract and solvent fractions were evaluated at the doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg for its antipyretic activities, and the antioxidant activity was evaluated at the doses of 50, 100, 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 mg/kg. The positive control group was treated with standard drug (ASA 100 mg/kg), while normal saline-receiving groups were assigned as negative control.

Result

E. kebericho crude extract along with its derived solvent fractions showed statistically significant (p < 0.05, 0.01, and 0.001) temperature reduction activities. The maximum percentage of temperature reduction was observed by the highest dose (400 mg/kg) of the crude extract. The aqueous fraction also showed significantly (p < 0.05 and 0.01) higher temperature reduction than those of ethyl acetate and chloroform fractions. The free radical scavenging activities of the crude extract were also significantly high at the maximum dose, and the aqueous fraction showed the significantly highest antioxidant activity.

Conclusion

In general, the data obtained from the present study clarified that the extract possessed significant antipyretic and antioxidant activities, upholding the traditionally claimed use of the plant.

Medicinal Plants Used to Manage Human and Livestock Ailments in Raya Kobo District of Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

Plant-based traditional medicine is practiced in Raya Kobo district, Amhara Regional State, Northeastern Ethiopia, to manage different human and livestock ailments. However, the formal ethnobotanical survey that documented such knowledge is lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to document the traditional knowledge on the use of medicinal plants to manage human and livestock ailments in the district. The study was conducted from January to July 2017 in five purposefully selected kebeles of the district. Ethnobotanical data were collected mainly using semistructured interviews conducted with 150 informants. In the five kebeles, 30 informants (15 males and 15 females) were selected using the stratified random sampling method from a list of traditional practitioners and knowledgeable individuals. Data were analyzed by employing descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The study documented a total of 91 medicinal plant species (distributed in 51 families) used in managing 38 human and 12 livestock ailments. Out of the total recorded plants species, 74 and 17 were used in managing human and livestock ailments, respectively. Leaves were the most frequently used plant parts in the preparation of remedies, accounting for 53.1% of the total preparations. The three most common methods of remedy preparation were grinding/pounding (23.5%), crushing (19.8%), and boiling (14.5%). Preference ranking conducted by selected informants on eight medicinal plants used in treating human febrile illness locally called “mich” revealed that Ocimum urticifolium is the most preferred medicinal plant—an indication of its high potency against the disease, and therefore needs to be prioritized for future scientific investigation. The result of this study demonstrated the rich traditional knowledge and practices in the district on the use of medicinal plants in treating various human and livestock ailments. Deforestation and drought were reported to be the major factors in the district threatening the medicinal plants and the associated knowledge. Thus, concerted efforts have to be made to conserve this important heritage using every possible means.

Antimalarial activity of Cucumis metuliferus and Lippia kituiensis against Plasmodium berghei infection in mice

Background

The search for new antimalarial drugs has become progressively urgent due to plasmodial resistance to most of the commercially available antimalarial drugs. As part of this effort, the study evaluated the antimalarial activity of Cucumis metuliferus and Lippia kituiensis, which are traditionally used in Tanzania for the treatment of malaria.

Materials and methods

In vivo antimalarial activity was assessed using the 4-day suppressive antimalarial assay. Mice were infected by injecting via tail vein 1×10⁷ erythrocytes infected by Plasmodium berghei ANKA. Extracts were administered orally; chloroquine (10 mg/kg/day) and dimethyl sulfoxide (5 mL/kg/day) were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. The level of parasitemia, survival time, packed cell volume (PCV) and variation in body weight of mice were used to determine the antimalarial activity of the extract.

Results

The ethyl acetate, methanolic and chloroform extracts of C. metuliferus and L. kituiensis significantly (p<0.05) inhibited parasitemia in a dose-dependent manner and prevented loss of body weight at the dose levels of 600 mg/kg and 1500 mg/kg, respectively. In addition, the extracts prolonged the mean survival time of P. berghei-infected mice compared to the non-treated control. The plant extracts did not show reduction of PCV except at the low dose of 300 mg/kg. The highest suppression was recorded at the dose level of 1,500 mg/kg. At this dose, C. metuliferus in chloroform, methanolic and ethyl acetate extracts had percentage suppression of 98.55%, 88.89% and 84.39%, respectively, whereas L. kituiensis in ethyl acetate, chloroform and methanolic extracts exhibited suppression of the pathogens of 95.19%, 93.88% and 74.83%, respectively.

Conclusion

It is worth reporting that the two plants induced suppression which is equivalent to that induced by chloroquine (C. metuliferus chloroform and L. Kituiensis ethyl acetate). The two plants have been demonstrated to be potential sources of antimalarial templates.

Antimalarial properties of crude extracts of seeds of Brucea antidysenterica and leaves of Ocimum lamiifolium

Background

The search for new antimalarial drugs has become increasingly urgent due to plasmodial resistance to existing drugs. As part of this global effort, the present study aimed at evaluating the antimalarial activity of two traditionally used medicinal plants against the disease.

Methods

Acute toxicity and four-day suppressive effects of aqueous, methanol and chloroform extracts of the seed and leaf of Brucea antidysenterica and Ocimum lamiifolium, respectively, were investigated in Swiss albino mice using Plasmodium berghei using standard procedures.

Results

Methanol extract of the leaves of O. lamiifolium did not exhibit any sign of acute toxicity up to the dose of 2000 mg/kg body weight. However, all mice provided with seeds of B. antidesenterica at a dose of 2000 mg/kg body died within 24 h. The aqueous, methanol and chloroform crude extracts of B. antidesenterica significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited parasitaemia in a dose-dependent manner and prevented body weight loss at doses of 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg body weight. In addition, the extracts prolonged the mean survival time of P. berghei-infected mice compared to the non-treated control. However, it did not prevent reduction in packed cell volume except the chloroform extract in three doses and methanol extract at 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg. Extracts from O. lamiifolium also exhibited significant (p < 0.05) antiplasmodial activities. The extracts did not prevent body weight loss and PCV reduction, especially in chloroform. The highest suppression was recorded from aqueous crude extract of O. lamiifolium with 35.53 % in the dose of 600 mg/kg. On the other hand, a similar higher suppression was found in both methanol and chloroform of crude extracts of B. antidesenterica with 47.70 %, 46.44 % of chemosuppression, respectively, in its highest dose tested.

Conclusion

Crude aqueous, methanol and chloroform extracts of the two medicinal plants possess acceptable antimalarial effects. However, further investigation should be pursued on toxicity study and to isolate the bioactive components responsible for the observed antimalarial action of the plants.

In Vivo Analgesic and Antipyretic Activities of N-Butanol and Water Fractions of Ocimum Suave Aqueous Leaves Extract in Mice

BACKGROUND

Ocimum suave willd is one of the plants traditionally used for the treatment of inflammation and related disorders in different parts of Ethiopia. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the analgesic and antipyretic activities of the solvent fractions (n-butanol and water) of O. suave aqueous leaves extract.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Acetic acid writhing and tail flick tests were used to evaluate the analgesic activity, and yeast-induced fever in mice was used to evaluate the antipyretic activity of the solvent fractions.

RESULTS

Both solvent fractions exhibited inhibitory effect against acetic acid induced writhing at all tested dose levels in a dose dependent manner. The water fraction inhibited writhing by 47.69% at a dose of 200 mg/kg which was comparable to that by ASA, the standard drug. In the tail flick test, 200 mg/kg dose of both solvent fractions showed significant activity (P<0.05) after 0.5h, 1h and 3hrs of their administration. Both n- butanol and water fractions produced significant reduction in yeast induced fever at all doses employed.

CONCLUSION

From these findings, it can be concluded that the n-butanol and water fractions of O. suave aqueous leaves extract have potential analgesic and antipyretic activity in mice.

Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Modeling to Study the Antipyretic Effect of Qingkailing Injection on Pyrexia Model Rats

Qingkailing injection (QKLI) is a modern Chinese medicine preparation derived from a well-known classical formulation, An-Gong-Niu-Huang Wan. Although the clinical efficacy of QKLI has been well defined, its severe adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were extensively increased. Through thorough attempts to reduce ADR rates, it was realized that the effect-based rational use plays the key role in clinical practices. Hence, the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) model was introduced in the present study, aiming to link the pharmacokinetic profiles with the therapeutic outcomes of QKLI, and subsequently to provide valuable guidelines for the rational use of QKLI in clinical settings. The PK properties of the six dominant ingredients in QKLI were compared between the normal treated group (NTG) and the pyrexia model group (MTG). Rectal temperatures were measured in parallel with blood sampling for NTG, MTG, model control group (MCG), and normal control group (NCG). Baicalin and geniposide exhibited appropriate PK parameters, and were selected as the PK markers to map the antipyretic effect of QKLI. Then, a PK-PD model was constructed upon the bacalin and geniposide plasma concentrations vs. the rectal temperature variation values, by a two-compartment PK model with a Sigmoid Emax PD model to explain the time delay between the drug plasma concentration of PK markers and the antipyretic effect after a single dose administration of QKLI. The findings obtained would provide fundamental information to propose a more reasonable dosage regimen and improve the level of individualized drug therapy in clinical settings.

Analgesic Potential of Essential Oils

Pain is an unpleasant sensation associated with a wide range of injuries and diseases, and affects approximately 20% of adults in the world. The discovery of new and more effective drugs that can relieve pain is an important research goal in both the pharmaceutical industry and academia. This review describes studies involving antinociceptive activity of essential oils from 31 plant species. Botanical aspects of aromatic plants, mechanisms of action in pain models and chemical composition profiles of the essential oils are discussed. The data obtained in these studies demonstrate the analgesic potential of this group of natural products for therapeutic purposes.

Antimicrobial activity of traditional medicinal plants from Ankober District, North Shewa Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

CONTEXT

Traditional medicinal plants have long been used in Ethiopia to treat human and livestock ailments. Despite a well-documented rich tradition of medicinal plant use in the country, their direct antimicrobial effects are still poorly known.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the antimicrobial activity of 19 medicinal plant species that were selected based on the ethnobotanical information on their traditional use to treat infectious diseases in Ankober District.

METHODS

About 23 different ethanol extracts of plants obtained by maceration of various parts of 19 medicinal plant species were studied for potential antimicrobial activity using a broth microdilution method against Bacillus cereus, Bacteroides fragilis, Candida albicans, Clostridium perfringens, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Streptococcus pyogenes.

RESULTS

Plant extracts from Embelia schimperi Vatke (Myrsinaceae) showed the strongest antibacterial activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 64 µg/ml against B. cereus, L. monocytogenes, and S. pyogenes. Growth inhibitory activities were also observed for extracts of Ocimum lamiifolium Hochst. (Lamiaceae) against S. pyogenes, and those of Rubus steudneri Schweinf. (Rosaceae) against S. epidermidis at an MIC value of 128 µg/ml. Generally, 74% of ethanol extracts (17 extracts) showed antimicrobial activity against one or more of the microbial strains tested at an MIC value of 512 µg/ml or below.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Results confirm the antimicrobial role of traditional medicinal plants of Ankober and warrant further investigations on promising medicinal plant species so as to isolate and characterise chemicals responsible for the observed strong antimicrobial activities.

A urinary metabonomics study on biochemical changes in yeast-induced pyrexia rats: a new approach to elucidating the biochemical basis of the febrile response

Fever is a prominent feature of many diseases, such as infection, inflammation and trauma. In the clinic, fever can be easily judged by measuring the body temperature; however, the pathogenesis of fever is still not fully understood. A febrile response is a systemic pathological process that can cause metabolic disorders. Metabonomics can provide powerful tools to reveal the pathological mechanisms for such a systemic disease. Thus, to reveal subtle metabolic changes under the condition of fever and to explore its mechanism, an ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry metabonomics approach was employed to investigate the urine biochemical characteristics of yeast-induced pyrexia rats. The acquired data were subjected to principal component analysis for differentiating the pyrexia rats from the control rats. Potential biomarkers were screened by using orthogonal partial least-squares-discriminant analysis and were identified by accurate mass, database, and MS/MS fragment information obtained from the MS(E) technique. Sixteen metabolites in rat urine were identified as potential biomarkers. The relative intensities of the 15 potential biomarkers were calculated. The thermoregulatory circuitry of "endogenous pyrogen (EP) ↑-hypothalamus Na⁺/Ca²⁺-cAMP↑" was partially confirmed in this study. The results suggested that UPLC/MS-based metabolic profiling of rat urine identifies impaired tryptophan metabolism as the mechanism of yeast-induced fever. This research provided informative data that the impaired tryptophan metabolism might be one of the important reasons in elucidating the biochemical basis of the febrile response.

In vivo anti-inflammatory activities of Ocimum suave in mice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Ocimum suave has been used in the Ethiopian traditional medicine to relieve pain, fever, inflammation and other disease conditions.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory activities of the aqueous and ethanol leaf extracts and some fractions of Ocimum suave in mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The crude extracts were screened for their anti-inflammatory activities on carrageenan-induced mouse paw edema at three dose levels. The butanol and aqueous fractions of the aqueous extract were also evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities using carrageenan, histamine and serotonin-induced mouse paw edema at three dose levels. Normal saline and aspirin were employed as negative and positive control groups, respectively.

RESULTS

Both ethanol and aqueous extracts significantly decreased carrageenan-induced inflammation at all the three doses used. However, greater paw edema inhibition was observed with the aqueous extract. The two fractions also showed significant reduction of inflammation against inflammatory models in which the aqueous residue exhibited the highest inhibition.

CONCLUSIONS

From the present findings, it can be concluded that the ethanol and aqueous leaf extracts as well as butanol and aqueous fractions of Ocimum suave have shown anti-inflammatory properties.

Plant use in Odo-Bulu and Demaro, Bale region, Ethiopia

This paper reports on the plant use of laypeople of the Oromo in Southern Ethiopia. The Oromo in Bale had names/uses for 294 species in comparison to 230 species documented in the lower reaches of the Bale area. Only 13 species was used for veterinary purposes, or as human medicine (46). Plant medicine served mostly to treat common everyday ailments such as stomach problems and diarrhea, for wound treatment and as toothbrush-sticks, as anthelmintic, for skin infections and to treat sore muscles and. Interestingly, 9 species were used to treat spiritual ailments and to expel demons. In most cases of medicinal applications the leaves or roots were employed.Traditional plant knowledge has clearly declined in a large part of the research area. Western style health care services as provided by governments and NGOs, in particular in rural areas, seem to have contributed to a decline in traditional knowledge, in part because the local population simply regards western medicine as more effective and safer.

In vivo anti-inflammatory activities of leaf extracts of Ocimum lamiifolium in mice model

AIM OF THE STUDY

Ocimum lamiifolium Hochst. ex Benth. (Lamiaceae) has been used in Ethiopian traditional medicine for the treatment of different inflammatory disorders such as oropharyngitis, wound, pain, fever, and others. However, its use has mainly been based on empirical findings. Thus the objective of this study was therefore to evaluate the antiinflammatory effects and acute oral toxicities of the leaf extracts of Ocimum lamiifolium in mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Aqueous and ethanol crude extracts were screened for their antiinflammatory activities in mice using carrageenin induced paw edema. And then the aqueous extract, the most active extract, was further fractionated and the fractions were tested for their anti-inflammatory activities using carrageenin, histamine and serotonin induced mice paw edema. Distilled water and aspirin were employed as negative and positive controls, respectively. Acute oral toxicity of both extracts and fractions were also determined after giving graded doses.

RESULTS

The aqueous and ethanol extracts were able to reduce inflammation significantly, but greater anti-inflammatory activity was observed for the aqueous extract at all dose levels. Of all fractions the water residue showed highly significant anti-inflammatory activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Ocimum lamiifolium leaf extracts exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activities with less acute toxicity.

Teratogenic effects, acute and sub chronic toxicity of the leaf aqueous extract of Ocimum suave Wild (Lamiaceae) in rats

The aqueous extract from the leaves of Ocimum suave was evaluated for acute and sub chronic toxicity and teratogenic effects. Swiss mice were administered single oral doses of 2000, 4000, 6000 and 8000 mg/kg and monitored for death and body weight gained for 7 days (acute toxicity). In sub-acute toxicity, experimental rats, received daily doses of 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg for 42 consecutive days and the toxic effects were assessed using biochemical and haematological data and histology of vital organs. In a teratogenic study, 1-day pregnant rats were administered orally 500 and 1000 mg/kg of extract daily for 21 consecutive days and 14th day corpora lutea and foetal implants and litter size at birth were noted. Reproductive performance of F(1) generation rats was studied by crossing them at maturity and recording the number, birth weight and physical presentation of the young offspring. Acute intake of extract up to 8000 mg/kg did not produce mortality or significant changes in general behaviour. Sub chronic treatment did not show any change in body and organ weights, feeding habits or behaviour between the control and the treated groups of both sexes. Haematological analysis and blood biochemistry revealed no toxicity effects of the extract. No gross abnormalities or histological changes were observed. Teratogenic and fertility studies did not reveal any toxic manifestations or foetal abnormalities. The leaf aqueous extract of Ocimum suave is non toxic in acute and sub chronic intake.

Anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive and antipyretic effects of extracts of Phrygilanthus acutifolius flowers

This study was intended to evaluate the anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic activities of aqueous and ethanol extracts of Phrygilanthus acutifolius flowers in several experimental standard models in rats, following oral administration. The results showed that the aqueous extract significantly reduced the oedema induced by carrageenan within 1-5 h post-dosing at all dose levels used. On the analgesia property, acetic acid-induced writhing was significantly reduced. In the formalin test, the extract also significantly decreased the painful stimulus in both phases of the test. The tail immersion confirms central acting analgesic property of the extracts. Overall, the analgesic tests conducted revealed that the extract had central and peripheral properties. Its effects on pyresis were also appreciable. It significantly reduced fever at doses greater than 200 mg/kg within 2 h on yeast-induced hyperthermia in rats.