Phytochemical screening and in vivo evaluation of anti-inflammatory potential of methanolic extract of Gleditsia triacanthos

Abstract

Plants contain many phytochemical constituents that show various biological activities. The primary objective of this study is to determine the bioactive compounds of the extract of the pods (fruits) of Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust); which is widely used in medicine. In the second step, the anti-inflammatory activity of these compounds was determined in vivo on Wistar rats. Phytochemical screening tests showed that the extracts of G. triacanthos are rich in a few groups mainly: total tannins, flavonoids, coumarins and saponosids. The results of the quantitative analysis showed that the methanolic extract is rich in polyphenolic compounds with significant contents of the total polyphenols of 14.73 ± 2.51 mg GAE / g, flavonoids of 9.65 ± 0.52 mg QE / g and condensed tannins of 6.95 ± 2.64 mg CE / g. The results of the in vivo evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity showed that methanolic extract resulted in a reduction in inflammatory reaction in the dextran induction model. It is manifested by an inhibition percentage of inflammation ranging from 6.56 to 10.76%. The present study showed that extract of G. triacanthos has an anti-inflammatory activity justifying their use in traditional medicine. It is therefore of considerable therapeutic interest as an alternative compound for the prevention of inflammation.