Evaluation of Methanol‐Dichloromethane Extract of Stemonocoleus micranthus Harms (Fabaceae) Stem Bark for Anti‐Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Activities

Abstract

Background. The stem bark decoction of Stemonocoleus micranthus Harms (Fabaceae) is most widely used traditionally as a remedy for various diseases such as malaria and boil. In this study, the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities of the methanol-dichloromethane extract (MDE) from the stem bark of the plant in rodents were evaluated. Methods. The carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema, cotton pellet-induced granuloma in rat, and xylene-induced ear oedema in mice were used to study the anti-inflammatory activity of methanol-dichloromethane extract of Stemonocoleus micranthus (MDESm) (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg). The effects of MDESm (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) on cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression, neutrophil adhesion, carbon clearance, and haematological and biochemical parameters were carried out to study its immunomodulatory activity in mice. Result. MDESm (100 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly (p<0.05) inhibited carrageenan-induced oedema by 57.1% at 5th h posttreatment compared with control. At 100 mg/kg, p.o., MDESm significantly (p<0.05) reduced cotton pellet-induced granuloma by 39.28% and nonsignificantly reduced xylene-induced ear oedema by 34.1%. Treatment with MDESm (100 and 400 mg/kg) nonsignificantly abolished the neutropenia caused by cyclophosphamide with a percentage neutrophil reduction of 0 and −14.86%, respectively, while MDESm (200 mg/kg) and levamisole (50 mg/kg) had a nonsignificant reduction in neutrophil count (10.16 and 31.40%), respectively, all compared to the distilled water-treated group with a neutrophil count of −9.82%. MDESm at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg increased phagocytic index by 0.0447 ± 0.00762 and 0.0466 ± 0.00703, respectively, although not significantly when compared to the control group with a value of 0.0226 ± 0.02117. There was a decrease in WBC and lymphocyte counts in MDESm- (200 mg/kg) treated group, suggesting immunosuppressive potential at this dose. MDESm caused a dose-dependent decrease in ALT and core liver enzymes, suggesting a hepatoprotective effect. The acute toxicity test revealed that MDESm is safe in mice with an oral lethal dose (LD50) of >5 g/kg. Conclusion. The methanol-dichloromethane extract of Stemonocoleus micranthus Harms possesses mild anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities which may be more pronounced upon fractionation and purification. Therefore, more investigations are needed to explore these activities further.

Therapeutic Potential of Selected Medicinal Plants Against Carrageenan Induced Inflammation in Rats

“…51 Increased concentrations of BUN and creatinine in blood are a sign of renal toxicity due to improper removal of waste substances by the damaged kidneys. 52 Treatment of rats with tested plants extract has not caused variation in serum BUN and creatinine level as compared to control or untreated group, suggesting no significant (P > .05) alterations in kidney function after treatment with tested plants extract. Consequently, the findings exclude the toxic properties on kidney functions by tested plants extract.…”

The regulatory effects of Pseudostellaria heterophylla polysaccharide on immune function and gut flora in immunosuppressed mice

“…The method of carbon clearance was employed to assess the phagocytic activity of the reticuloendothelial system (Esseddik et al, 2020 ). This assay was conducted based on previous studies (Mbaoji et al, 2020 ) with minor modifications. Two hours after the final intragastric administration, the weight of the 10 mice from each group were measured before injecting the Indian ink (0.1 ml/10 g BW, diluted with Normal saline at 1:8 dilution) through the tail vein.…”

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of an Aqueous Extract of Justicia Flava (Forsk) Vahl (Acanthaceae) in Rats

“…On the other hand, some authors revealed that the methanolic extract of Gladiolus segetum at 500 mg/kg bw inhibited the egg-albumin edema by 52.67% after 5 h of experimentation [20]. Moreover, at 100 mg/kg bw, the stem bark decoction of Stemonocoleus micranthus significantly (p<0.05) inhibited carrageenan-induced edema by 57.1% at 5 th h posttreatment compared to control [21]. As stated above, histamine is a key mediator of the first phase of acute inflammation.…”