Antipyretic, antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activity of Premna herbacea roots
Introduction
Premna herbacea Roxb., syn. Pygmacopremna herbacea (Roxb.) Mold. (Verbenaceae), known as Sirutekku in Tamil, is used in Siddha, the traditional system of medicine practised in south India. Sirutekku is claimed to be useful in treating fevers (including malarial fever), inflammation, rheumatism, respiratory disorders and as a sedative [1], [2]. As there is no scientific evidence in support of these claims, the roots of this plant were subjected to pharmacological screening.
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Plant material
P. herbacea roots, collected in October 1996, procured from Thiruvananthapuram crude drug market (Kerala State) and identified by Dr V. Chelladurai, Survey of Medicinal Plants Unit (CCRAS, Govt of India), Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu. A voucher specimen (Pharm No.15/96) has been deposited in the herbarium of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Madras Medical College, Chennai.
Preparation of extract
Shade dried and powdered root (2.8 kg) was extracted with EtOH at room temperature (72 h) and the extract was
Acute toxicity
The alcoholic extract of P. herbacea roots, when orally administered in the dose range of 0.5–8.0 g/kg to mice, did not produce any significant change in the autonomic or behavioural responses during the observation period. No mortality was observed up to the 7th day of monitoring.
Antipyretic activity
Administration of TAB vaccine in rabbits produced a significant increase in rectal temperature at 60 min, which gradually decreased after 120 min. Treatment with P. herbacea (100–400 mg/kg, p.o) significantly reduced
Discussion
Among several traditional claims, the effectiveness of Sirutekku in fever and inflammation has been particularly emphasised [2]. Hence, it was considered that pharmacological investigation on P. herbacea for these properties was deserved to scientifically validate the traditional claims. The antinociceptive effect was also investigated since most of the non-steroidal agents used against fever and inflammation also possess antinociceptive activity.
The results of acute toxicity testing indicate
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Dr V. Chelladurai, Survey of Medicinal Plants Unit (CCRAS, Govt of India), Tirunelveli for the procurement and identification of the plant material and the Dean, Madras Medical College for facilities.
References (9)
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