Protective effects of crude and alkaloidal extracts of Tamarindus indica against acute inflammation and nociception in rats

摘要

Objective: To investigate the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of total alkaloids extracted from the leaf of Tamarindus indica (T. indica) in rats. Methods:Acetic acid-induced pain and egg albumin-induced inflammation were used to inspect the anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of the crude and alkaloidal extracts of T. indica at doses of 40 and 400 mg/kg, respectively. Sodium diclofenac was used as the control drug. Results:The percentage yields of crude methanol and alkaloidal extracts of T. indicawere 2.85% and 0.98%, respectively. Screening of secondary metabolite of the crude extract revealed the presence of saponins, alkaloids, tannins, steroids, phenols and terpenes, while phlobatannins was not detected. The safe dose and LD50 were 400 and 750 mg/kg for crude methanol extract, respectively, while the safe dose and LD50 of alkaloidal extract were 40 and 57 mg/kg, respectively. The anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of crude methanol extract and alkaloid extract of T. indica were significantly (P < 0.05) different from those of control rats. The standard drug (sodium diclofenac), crude extract and alkaloidal extract showed percentage inhibition of 89.36%, 53.92% and 81.37% in paw edema, respectively. Conclusions:The results obtained indicated that the crude and alkaloidal extracts of the plant exhibited significant anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities, thus, supporting its folkloric use for the treatment of these conditions.