title: Antiinflammatory activity of a Ghanaian antiarthritic herbal preparation: III.
abstract: alpha-Amyrin palmitate, present in a Ghanaian antiarthritic herbal preparation of Alstonia boonei, Elaies guineensis and Rauvolfia vomitoria, was synthesised and tested on complete Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritic rats. Administered orally at 56 mg/kg body weight (BW) daily for 8 days from days 11 to 18 post adjuvant (acute) or at 66 mg/kg BW every 48 h for 5 days from days 32 to 40 (chronic), the drug returned the increases in serum hyaluronate and blood granulocytes towards non-arthritic levels and corrected the moderate anaemia of adjuvant arthritis. Histological examinations of the proximal interphalangeal foot joints showed reduced synovial proliferation and invasion of joints and reduced leucocyte infiltration of bone marrow and periarticular tissue in treated rats. The results suggest that alpha-amyrin palmitate contributes to the previously shown antiarthritic effect of the herbal preparation.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000740:Anemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D000818:Animals; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000187:drug effects; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005869:Ghana; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000145:classification; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D009828:Oleanolic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D013640:Tarsal Joints / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014315:Triterpenes; C079349:beta-amyrin palmitate; D009828:Oleanolic Acid; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid