Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Activities of PaludoseTM Herbal Mixture in Experimental Models.

Abstract

The herbal mixture, Paludose™ is a preparation that is used for the treatment of malaria in Cotonou, Benin Republic. In our previous study Paludose™ displayed very little antiparasitic effect but prolonged the survival of mice infected with P. berghei. This study evaluated its anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities in experimental models. The phenolic constituents of Paludose™ were determined using High-performance liquid chromatography method. The analgesic activities of Paludose™ using acetic acid-induced writhing and the hot plate methods were evaluated in mice. Number of cumulative writhes, pre-dosing and reaction latency were all recorded. Elucidation of possible mechanism of action was also done. In addition, Wistar rats were used to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity using the carrageenan-induced paw edema model. The paw homogenates of each animal were used for biochemical evaluations. The peak analgesic activity of Paludose™ was obtained at 0.143 mL/kg (83.58 % inhibition) peripherally and at 30 minutes centrally with 41.85% maximum possible effect. However, only naloxone significantly (p ˂ 0.05) reversed the effect of Paludose™. Treatment with Paludose™ at 0.143 mL/kg produced a significant inhibition of edema with peak effect seen at 3-hour post-carrageenan injection (68.46 ± 8.46%). Furthermore, the nitrite, malondialdehyde, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels decreased significantly while the level of glutathione was significantly increased at 0.143 mL/kg (Paludose™). Paludose™ is rich in gallic acid, and naringenin and at 0.143 mL/kg exhibit good anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities.