Objective: To investigate the anti-inflammatory activity as well as carotenoid content of crude hydro-acetonic extract of fruit and leaves of Lannea microcarpa (L. microcarpa) and to elucidate the possible anti-inflammatory mechanism by enzymatic and non-enzymatic methods.
Methods: Anti-inflammatory activity was determined by using carrageenan induced paw edema in mice; the anti-inflammatory mechanism may have been assessed using the inhibitory effect of the extracts, on the lipoxygenase, xanthine oxidase, lipid peroxidation and the reduction of Fe3+.
Results: At the doses of 100mg/kg, 200mg/kg, 400mg/kg, the extracts of both fruit and leaves reduced the carrageenan-induced paw edema while the dose of 200 mg/kg has produced a maximum percentage of inhibition of mice paw edema both for fruit (78.44%) and leaves (58.02%) at the fifth hour compared to control. Significant lipoxigenase and xanthine oxidase inhibitory effect was obtained with both fruit and leaves extract ethyl acetate fraction. Ethyl acetate fraction from both extracts inhibited lipid peroxidation. The fruit and leaves extract ethyl acetate fraction also inhibited lipid peroxidation with 32.85% and 78.07% respectively. Crude acetonic extract of leaves of Lannea microcarpa has shown a significantly reducing power of Fe3+ by 9.46±0.26 and high carotenoids content compared to those of fruit extract
Conclusion: The results obtained from the present study suggest that Lannea microcarpa fruit and leaves extract possess significant antiinflammatory and antioxidant capacities (mg AAE/100 mg). Therefore, they could be useful for food and pharmaceutics industries.