In vitro inhibition of lipopolysaccharide and mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette Guérin-induced inflammatory cytokines and in vivo protection from D-galactosamine/LPS -mediated liver injury by the medicinal plant Sclerocarya birrea.

Sclerocarya birrea is a medicinal plant used for the treatment of inflammatory- and bacterial-related diseases. The present study investigated in vitro and in vivo the effects of the stem bark methanol extract of S. birrea. Nitrite, TNF, IL-1beta, IL-6 and IL-12p40 production by bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) pre-incubated with or without S. birrea, and stimulated with Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or infected with live Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG) was evaluated. S. birrea extract inhibited, in a concentration-dependent manner, nitrite, TNF, IL-1beta, IL-6 and IL-12p40 production by BMDM stimulated with LPS or infected with live BCG. The iNOS expression was reduced by S. birrea after stimulation of BMDM with LPS. In addition, S. birrea inhibited the nuclear factor kB (NF-kB) activation by both LPS and BCG. The effects of the plant extract were also evaluated in an in vivo model of liver injury induced by D-galactosamine/LPS (D-GalN/LPS) administration in mice. S. birrea limited D-GalN/LPS-liver injury as assessed by a reduction in transaminases and TNF, IL-1beta, IL-6 serum levels, and translocation of NF-kB to the nucleus. Taken together, our data indicate that stem bark methanol extract of S. birrea possesses anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting NF-kB activation and cytokine release induced by inflammatory or infectious stimuli.

Analgesic properties of the aqueous and ethanol extracts of the leaves of Kalanchoe crenata (Crassulaceae).

The aqueous and ethanol extracts of the dry leaves of Kalanchoe crenata (300 and 600 mg/kg) were evaluated for their analgesic properties on the pain induced by acetic acid, formalin and heat in mice and by pressure on rats. The ethanol extract of K. crenata at a dose of 600 mg/kg produced an inhibition of 61.13% on pain induced by acetic acid and 50.13% for that induced by formalin. An inhibition of 67.18% was observed on pain induced by heat 45 min after the administration of the extract. The aqueous extract administered at a dose of 600 mg/kg produced a maximum effect of 25% on pain induced by pressure. These activities were similar to those produced by a paracetamol-codeine association, while indomethacin exhibited a protective effect only against the writhing test. Our results suggest that the leaves of K. crenata could be a source of analgesic compounds.