Aims: The present research was carried out to investigate the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic potential of aqueous extract of Albizia ferruginea stem bark. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Animal Biology and Physiology (Animal Physiology Laboratory), Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I. between March 2012 and June 2016. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analyzes were done.The anti-inflammatory effect of the plant extract (100 and 200 mg/kg) was investigated on carrageenan, histamine, serotonin or dextran-induced paw oedema. The analgesic activity was evaluated on acetic acid-induced writhing, formalin-induced nociception, hot plate and tail immersion tests in Swiss albino mice. The antipyretic activity of A. ferruginea extract was assessed on brewer’s yeast induced pyrexia. Results: Qualitative phytochemical analysis of the AEAF revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoïds, phenols, saponins, tannins, glycosides, tannins and steroids. For quantitative phytochemical analysis, total flavonols represent 0.12±0.04 mg EQT/g dried extract and the total phenol content was 58.69±0.65 mg ECA/g dried extract. The total flavonoids content was 0.18±0.01mg EQT/g dried extract).The total alkaloids presented a grade of 27.45±0.14 mg EBER/g dried extract. Carrageenan, dextran, histamine and serotonin-induced inflammation were significantly inhibited by A. ferruginea’s extract (200 mg/kg), exhibiting 55.47%, 50.26%, 62.88% and 42.59% inhibition, respectively. Acetic acid-induced writhing was significantly reduced by the plant extract. The extract of Albizia ferruginea (200 mg/kg) significantly reduced the second phase of formalin test. The analgesic tests revealed that A. ferruginea had only peripheral analgesic effect. Additionally, the plant’s extract prevented brewer’s yeast-induced pyrexia in rats. Conclusion: Taken together, these results suggest that A. ferruginea’s aqueous extract has anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive and antipyretic properties and this strongly supports the ethnopharmacological uses.

Albizia ferruginea is used in popular medicine for the treatment of inflammatory illnesses. The chronic anti-inflammatory effects of aqueous extract of A. ferruginea was assessed on the cotton pellet-induced granuloma, formalin and complete Freund's adjuvant-induced inflammation. The aqueous extract of A. ferruginea was administered orally at the doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg. It’s showed that A. ferruginea extract (100 or 200 mg/kg) significantly (p<0.001) inhibited the granuloma formation induced by cotton pellets by 41.70 % and 46.10 %, respectively. A. ferruginea extract, at the dose of 200 mg/kg inhibited (p<0.01) the paw œdema induced by formalin (25.79 %) and Complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) in rats(47.40 %).A. ferruginea  extract(100 or 200 mg/kg) normalized the level of white blood cells, red blood cells, hemoglobin, and platelets of rats treated with CFA. Glutathione and superoxide dismutase levels were significantly increase (92.59% and 60.51%, respectively), catalase activity was significantly increased (42.03%) in the tissue of CFA rats treated with A. ferruginea (200 mg/kg). Malondialdehyde level was reduced by 72.88% (p<0.01) in spleen of rats treated with A. ferruginea aqueous extract. The nitrite level was significantly decreased by 50.51% in liver of CFA rats treated with A. ferruginea (200 mg/kg). These results show that aqueous extract of A. ferruginea may possess anti-inflammatory effects on chronic inflammation, which could be partially attributed to its antioxidant properties.