ANTIINFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF THE ALKALOID BUKITTINGGINE FROM SAPIUM-BACCATUM

The anti-inflammatory and related activities of bukittinggine were eva luated in comparison with reference drugs. The results obtained reveal ed that bukittinggine exhibited a significant inhibitory effect in car rageenin-induced hind paw edema and adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats . Its anti-inflammatory activity in both test models was comparable to that of acetylsalicylic acid. Bukittinggine also showed an inhibitory effect on the late proliferative phase of the inflammatory process in cotton pellet-induced granuloma formation in rats. In carrageenin-ind uced rat pleurisy, bukittinggine exhibited marked inhibitory activity on exudative formation, accumulation of leukocytes and on PGE(2)-like activity in the exudate. Furthermore bukittinggine could significantly reduce fever in yeast-induced hyperthermic rats and possessed analges ic activity comparable to that of acetylsalicylic acid when tested in acetic acid-induced writhing response in mice. However, bukittinggine exhibited only a weak effect in the tail-flick test when compared with morphine. It is likely that bukittinggine possesses a mechanism of an ti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic action similar to that of a cetylsalicylic acid.