Anti-Inflammatory Potential Evaluation (In-Vitro and In-Vivo) of Arthrophytum scoparium Aerial Part

Arthrophytum scoparium is plant commonly used in folk medicine in Algeria to treat numerous human diseases especially infectious, Rheumatism, diabetes and cancer. However, its anti-inflammatory activity and the underlying mechanisms have not been studied systematically. The present study aims to assess both the in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory potential and antioxidant activity of the plant. Results showed that A. scoparium chloroform extract (ChE) contains the largest amount of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. In-vitro bioassay consisted of investigating the effect of the plant extracts against protein denaturation (BSA and egg albumin). In-vivo anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by measuring the percentage inhibition of carrageenan-induced rat paw edema after oral administration of the extracts. Results showed that inhibition of protein denaturation was maximum in case of A. scoparium crude extract (CrE) with dose dependant manner. Similarly in the in-vivo study, carrageenan induced inflammation was significantly antagonized by CrE with inhibition of 87.02% at 400 mg/kg. CrE extracts showed the highest scavenger effect against hydroxyl and hydrogen peroxide. The CrE showed potent anti-inflammatory activity in both the conditions in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion different A. scoparium extracts scavenged reactive oxygen species efficiently; it may be due to the presence of its flavonoids and polyphenols. These results support the traditional use of this plant. Keywords: Arthrophytum scoparium, polyphenols, anti-inflammatory activity, radical scavenging activity