A pilot evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activity of Culcasia scandens,a traditional antirheumatic agent

Objective: To screen the anti-inflammatory potentials of a popular traditio nal antirheumatic herb, Culcasia scandens. Design: The leaves of Culcasia scandens were collected, identified, dried, and reduced to coarse powder and extracted with methanol. The methanol extr act was fractionated into seven fractions. The fractions were subjected to phytochemical analysis to identify the biologically active constituents. Th e anti-inflammatory activity of the crude (methanol) extract (CE) and the f ractions were determined in rats. The crude extract was also subjected to a cute toxicity tests. Results: The extract was partitioned into seven fractions (F1-F7) using pre parative thin layer chromatography. Fraction Fl and the methanol-insoluble fraction (F9) did not exhibit any antiinflammatory activity. The other frac tions showed anti-inflammatory activity in the following order F6> F2> F5> F4> F8> F3> F7> CE. The anti-inflammatory potency of F2 and F6 at the dose tested were greater than that of aspirin (100 mg/kg). Phytochemical analysi s of the extracts revealed the presence of reducing sugars, carbohydrates, alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, tannins, flavonoids and an unsaturated lac tone ring of steroids. The median lethal dose (LD50) of the crude extract i n the mice was greater than 5 g/kg. The results indicate that the leaves of C. scandens have good potential as an anti-inflammatory agent.