TITLE:
Safety and in Vivo Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Ethanolic Extract of Ficus umbellata (Vahl.) Leaves
AUTHORS:
Atchadé Pascal Tchogou, Steven Amour Pyus Tanguy Vignon Chokki, Gbèssohèlè Justin Behanzin, Tétédé Rodrigue Christian Konfo, Perside Savoeda, Félicienne Agbogba, Léocardie Akpoli, Lamine Baba-Moussa, Maximin Senou, Alphonse Sezan
KEYWORDS:
Ficus umbellata, Toxicity, Anti-Inflammatory, Edema, Inflammation
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.12 No.3,
March
15,
2024
ABSTRACT: Toxicity is the totality of adverse effects, which can be functional and morphological lesions in a living organism, caused by a substance introduced in relatively high single doses or in small, repeated doses. The aim of this study was to assess the OECD-recommended acute oral toxicity and anti-inflammatory activity of ethanolic extract of Ficus umbellata leaves. Animals were given a single oral dose of 1000, 3000 and 5000 mg/Kg body weight (BW) of the extract. For the anti-inflammatory activity test, rats were given the ethanolic extract of F. umbellata leaves at doses of 100, 300 and 500 mg/Kg or aspirin® at a concentration of 100 mg/Kg PC orally, one hour before injection of 0.05 ml of 1% formalin under the plantar fascia of the rat’s right hind paw. Paw volume measurements were taken one, two and three hours after formalin injection, using an electronic caliper. After 14 days of observation, no deaths were observed in treated rats. The LD50 of ethanolic extract of Ficus umbellata leaf powder is greater than 5000 mg/Kg body weight. This extract has no significant effects on hematological parameters and on the main markers of nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity for a single dose of less than 5000 mg/Kg PC. It reduces formalin-induced edema. Evaluation of the percentage inhibition showed that the extract had greater anti-inflammatory activity at 3 hours after the start of the experiment. However, better inhibition of inflammatory oedema of the paw of rats treated with 500 mg/Kg was observed at 5 hours after the start of the experiment, with a percentage inhibition of 69.23 ± 1.02, compared with the reference group treated with aspirin®100 mg/Kg, which showed an inhibition of 63.50 ± 0.98. These results show that F. umbellata leaves possess anti-inflammatory activity, which would justify their use in traditional African medicine to prevent or treat inflammation.