Anti-inflammatory activity of tea (Camellia sinensis) root extract.
Pharmacological studies were carried out with methanol-water (1:1) extract of dried tea (Camellia sinensis) root extract (TRE). TRE was found to possess anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities at 1/10th of its LD50 dose of 100 mg/kg i.p. It was found that TRE inhibited the arachidonic acid-induced paw oedema in rats which indicated that TRE produced the anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting both the cyclooxygenase and lypooxygenase pathways of arachidonic acid metabolism. TRE also enhanced peritoneal cell count and the number of macrophages in normal mice. It is plausible that the saponins present in TRE may be responsible for these activities of TRE.
Chattopadhyay
P
P
Drug Development Division, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S.C. Mullick Road, Kolkata 700032, India.
Besra
S E
SE
Gomes
A
A
Das
M
M
Sur
P
P
Mitra
S
S
Vedasiromoni
J R
JR
D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity*; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000187:drug effects; D028241:Camellia sinensis; D007194:India; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000187:drug effects; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity; D018517:Plant Roots; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D010936:Plant Extracts