Comparison of active constituents, acute toxicity, anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of Porana sinensis Hemsl., Erycibe obtusifolia Benth. and Erycibe schmidtii Craib.
BACKGROUND
Erycibe obtusifolia and Erycibe schmidtii, which belong to the same genus as Erycibe, are widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of joint pain and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Porana sinensis has become a widely used substitute for Erycibe obtusifolia and Erycibe schmidtii as they have declined in the wild. In the present work, the content of the main active components, the acute toxicity, the anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of Porana sinensis, Erycibe obtusifolia and Erycibe schmidtii were compared, and the mechanisms of anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities were discussed.


METHODS
A quantitative HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) method was first developed to compare the content of the main active components (scopoletin, scopolin and chlorogenic acid). The anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activities of 40% ethanolic extracts of the three plants were compared using the models of xylene-induced ear edema, formalin-induced inflammation, carrageenan-induced air pouch inflammation, acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin-induced nociception. The acute toxicity of the 40% ethanolic extracts of the three plants was studied.


RESULTS
The assay suggested a large content of scopoletin, scopolin and chlorogenic acid in the three plants. The 40% ethanolic extracts of the three plants were almost non-toxic at the dose of 5g/kg and all of them showed significant anti-inflammatory effects in the tests of xylene-induced ear edema and formalin-induced inflammation. In the carrageenan-induced air pouch inflammation test, the synthesis of PGE2 was significantly inhibited by all the extracts. They significantly inhibited the number of contortions induced by acetic acid and the second phase of the formalin-induced licking response. Naloxone was not able to reverse the analgesic effect of these extracts.


CONCLUSIONS
The study identifies the similarity of the three plants in their main active components as well as acute toxicity, anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities. It supports the use of Porana sinensis as a suitable substitute, but further studies are needed to confirm this.
The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201210, People's Republic of China; The Shanghai Key Laboratory for Compound Chinese medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201210, People's Republic of China.
Zhiyong
Z
Chen
Liping
L
Liao
Zijia
Z
Zhang
Lihong
L
Wu
Zhengtao
Z
Wang
D019342:Acetic Acid; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002351:Carrageenan; D027722:Convolvulaceae; D004423:Ear; D004487:Edema / Q000188:drug therapy; D005528:Foot; D005557:Formaldehyde; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D010146:Pain / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute
D000700:Analgesics; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D005557:Formaldehyde; D002351:Carrageenan; D019342:Acetic Acid
Anti-inflammatory; Anti-nociceptive; Assay; Erycibe obtusifolia; Erycibe schmidtii; Porana sinensis