Various parts of the perennial herb
Hilleria latifolia
(Lam.) H. Walt. (Family: Phytolaccaceae) are used in
Ghanaian traditional medicine for the treatment of several inflammatory-related disorders. The present study examined the
anti-inflammatory effect of an ethanolic extract of the aerial parts of
Hilleria latifolia (HLE) in acute and chronic
inflammation models. Since free radicals and reactive oxygen species are implicated in inflammatory diseases, the
antioxidant potential of HLE was also investigated in
in vitro experimental models. HLE (10-300 mg kg
-1,
p.o.), either preemptively
or curatively, significantly inhibited carrageenan-induced foot oedema in 7-day old chicks. Similarly, the NSAID
diclofenac (10-100 mg kg
-1, i.p.) and the steroidal anti-inflammatory agent dexamethasone (0.3-3 mg kg
-1, i.p.) dose-dependently
reduced the oedema in both pre-emptive and curative treatments. In the Freund’s adjuvant induced-arthritis
model in rats, HLE as well as the positive controls, dexamethasone and methotrexate, showed significant anti-arthritic
properties when applied to established adjuvant arthritis. HLE (10-300 mg kg
-1,
p.o.) significantly reduced oedema in the
ipsilateral paw of rats but failed to prevent systemic arthritic spread. The DMARD methotrexate (0.1-1 mg kg
-1, i.p.) and
dexamethasone (0.3-3 mg kg
-1, i.p.) reduced significantly the total polyarthritic oedema as well as the spread of the arthritis
from the ipsilateral to the contralateral paws of the treated animals. The extract (0.03-1.00 mg ml
-1) exhibited Fe
3+ reducing
activity, scavenged DPPH and prevented lipid peroxidation. These findings suggest that the extract exerts
in vivo antiinflammatory
activity after oral administration and also has antioxidant properties which may contribute to its activity.
