Anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of the stem bark extracts of Erythrophleum suaveolens (Caesalpiniaceae), Guillemin & Perrottet.

The MeOH stem bark extract of Erythrophleum suaveolens dissolved in water and shaken up with ethylacetate (EtOAc) and fractionated on a polyamide column with methanol as eluent produced five principal fractions. These fractions were designated as fraction A (74.8 mg yield and rich in alkaloids), fraction B (36.6 mg), fraction C (7.8 mg yield, monomeric procyanidin), fraction D (26.6 mg yield, rich in monomeric and oligomeric procyanidin), and fraction E (18.1 mg yield, rich in polymeric procyanidin). The original MeOH extract administered (100 mg/kg po) produced about 47% inhibition of carrageenin-induced paw oedema 1 h after administration. Fraction D, obtained from the ethylacetate extract and rich in procyanidins produced over 33% inhibition of carrageenan-induced paw oedema while a dose of 19.2 microg/ml produced 100% inhibitory effect on 5-lipoxygenase. A dose of 100 mg/kg of the MeOH extract also produced over 30% reduction of the sensitivity to pain while 50 mg/kg of fraction D rich in procyanidins produced over 45% analgesic effects. These results were judged significant compared to those obtained with indomethacin and acetylsalicylic acid. These findings suggest that extracts of the bark of Erythrophleum suaveolens possess potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic property and that the procyanidins lead to the observable pharmacological effects.