In Vivo Investigation of the Aqueous Methanol Extracts of Leaves of Millettia aboensis (Hook. F.) Baker (Fabaceae) for Anti-Inflammatory Potentials doi.org/10.26538/tjnpr/v5i9.6

Abstract

Inflammation is a serious disorder that is often accompanied by pain and discomfort. Millettia aboensis leaves are widely used traditionally in folkloric medicine in many parts of Africa for the management of different human ailments like inflammatory disorders, constipation, liver diseases. The phytochemical constituents and anti-inflammatory properties of aqueous methanol extract of Millettia aboensis leaf were investigated. The powdered leaf was exhaustively extracted with 95% aqueous methanol by cold maceration. The crude extract was concentrated n vacuo, weighed and percentage yield determined. Acute toxicity test was performed in accordance with the Lorke’s method. The phytochemical composition was screened using standard procedures, while the anti-inflammatory  property was screened using the carrageenan-induced paw oedema model in rats. The acute toxicity test revealed that the plant has a high margin of safety. The phytochemical studies of the crude extract showed the presence of alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, glycosides, tannins, flavonoids and saponins. The in vivo anti-inflammatory study revealed that at 200 mg/kg dose there was significant (p<0.05) inhibition of 79.06% on the inflammation of carrageenan-induced paw oedema after 4 hours as compared to the standard drug (piroxicam) that had 62.79% inhibition. These findings suggest that Millettia aboensis possesses anti-inflammatory potentials.