Anti-inflammatory activities of Curcuma aeruginosa with membrane stabilization and carrageenan-induced paw oedema test

Abstract

Although inflammation is a normal bodily response to injury, a prolonged inflammatory response can be detrimental for patients. To avoid the deleterious effects associated with prolonged inflammation, anti-inflammatory agents are often utilized, which can have many side effects. Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb., known locally as temu ireng, belongs to the family Zingiberaceae and is a potential natural alternative to existing anti-inflammatory agents, as this plant is used in traditional medicines to treat health problems caused by inflammation. This research aimed to identify natural alternatives to existing anti-inflammatory agents, and potential compounds were examined for in vitro anti- inflammatory activity using an erythrocyte membrane stabilization test. In addition, in vivo anti- inflammatory activity was measured in mice using a carrageenan-induced paw oedema method, followed by the measurement with a plethysmometer. The evaluation of erythrocyte membrane stabilization activity showed that the EC50 value for the positive control, indomethacin (26.4 ± 2.9 mg/mL) was lower than that for C. aeruginosa (47.8 ± 1.6 mg/mL). The results of the carrageenan- induced paw oedema method returned significant area under the curve AUC values for 100 mg/kg C. aeruginosa treatment (8.26 ± 0.50) compared with both the normal (10.01 ± 0.33) and drug control (6.50 ± 0.10) groups. Therefore, C. aeruginosa rhizome extracts have the potential for development as natural anti-inflammatory agents.