Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

In vivo anti-inflammatory activity of Liquidambar formosana Hance infructescence extract

Haoran Ma, Fuqian Wang, Jie Jiang, Lu Cheng, Hong Zhang , Geng Zhang

Department of Pharmacy, Wuhan First Hospital, Wuhan 430022, Hubei, PR China;

For correspondence:- Hong Zhang Email: wyzh688@126.com Tel:+862785332416

Accepted: 6 September 2017 Published: 31 October 2017

Citation: Ma H, Wang F, Jiang J, Cheng L, Zhang H, Zhang G. In vivo anti-inflammatory activity of Liquidambar formosana Hance infructescence extract. Trop J Pharm Res 2017; 16(10):2403-2410 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v16i10.13

© 2017 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of Liquidambar formosana Hance infructescence (Liquidambaris fructus, ELF) in vivo, and clarify its underlying mechanisms.

Methods: The in vivo anti-inflammatory activity of ELF was examined by xylene-induced ear swelling test in mice as well as carrageenan-induced paw edema method in rats. The levels of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10) in serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while the expressions of COX-2, iNOS and NF-κB p65 in paw tissue of rats were evaluated by western blot.

Results: After ELF treatment, the levels of TNF-α (p < 0.001), IL-1β (p < 0.001) and IL-6 (p < 0.001) in serum decreased and the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 increased (p < 0.01). In addition, ELF treatment resulted in decrease of COX-2 (p < 0.01), iNOS (p < 0.01) and NF-κB p65 (p < 0.01) expressions in Wistar rats.

Conclusion: The results reveal that ELF possesses significant anti-inflammatory effect in vivo. The anti-inflammatory activity is associated with the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 in serum. Furthermore, the suppression of NF-κB p65, iNOS and COX-2 is linked to its anti-inflammatory effect. These results provide a rationale for the use of Liquidambaris fructus in inflammatory disease in traditional medicine.

Keywords: Anti-inflammatory activity, Liquidambaris fructus, Cytokines, Ear swelling test, Paw edema