Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Assessment of the Extracts of Centaurea tchihatcheffii Fischer for Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Activities in Animal Models

Ufuk Koca, Gülnur Toker, Esra Küpeli Akkol

Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, Etiler 06330, Ankara, Turkey;

For correspondence:- Esra Akkol Email: esrak@gazi.edu.tr Tel:+903122235018

Received: 7 Jan 2009 Accepted: 2 Mar 2009 Published: 23 June 2009

Citation: Koca U, Toker G, Akkol EK. Assessment of the Extracts of Centaurea tchihatcheffii Fischer for Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Activities in Animal Models. Trop J Pharm Res 2009; 8(3):193-200 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v8i3.2

© 2009 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the ethanol extracts of the flowers, leaves, and stems of Centaurea tchihatcheffii Fischer & C.A. Meyer (Asteraceae) for their anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities in male Swiss albino mice.

Methods: For the evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity, hind paw oedema was induced in the mice with carrageenan and prostaglandin-E₂ (PGE₂⁾ and the mice received either 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight doses of the flower extract or 200 mg/kg body weight dose of the leaf and stem extracts. Furthermore, ear oedema was induced in other groups of mice with 12-O-tetradecanoyl-13-acetate (TPA) and then administered with 0.5 mg/ear dose of the extract of either of the three plant parts. In order to evaluate analgesic activity, p-benzoquinone-induced abdominal constriction test was used with 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight doses of the flower or 200mg/kg body weight dose of the leaf and stem extracts administered. Indomethacin and acetylsalicylic acid were the reference drugs for anti-inflamatory and analgesic evaluations, respectively. Phytochemical screening of the flower extract was carried out by thin layer chromatography (TLC).

Results: The results of evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activities induced by carrageenan and PGE₂ showed that the flower extract diminished cyclo-oxygenase activitiy at the 200 mg/kg dose to the same level as the reference drug, indomethacin. However, no anti-inflamatory activity was seen in the TPA-induced ear oedema model. The extracts from all three parts of the plant showed analgesia in p-benzoquinone-induced abdominal constriction test. TLC analysis of the flower extract indicated the presence of sesquiterpen lactones, which may have been responsible for the analgesic activity.

Conclusion: Our results support the use of C. tchihatcheffii in traditional medicine in Turkey for their anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.

Keywords: Centaurea tchihatcheffii, leaves, flowers, stems, anti-inflammatory, analgesic