Anti-inflammatory activity of Jatropha curcas roots in mice and rats.

Anti-inflammatory activity of topical application of Jatropha curcas L. root powder in paste form in TPA-induced ear inflammation was confirmed in albino mice and the successive solvent extraction of these roots was carried out by ether and methanol. The methanol extract exhibited systemic and significant anti-inflammatory activity in acute carrageenan-induced rat paw edema. It also showed activity against formalin-induced rat paw edema, as well as, turpentine-induced exudative changes and cotton pellet-induced granular tissue formation after oral treatment for 7 days in albino rats. Thus, resultant anti-inflammatory activity might be due to effects on several mediators and arachidonic acid metabolism involving cyclo-oxygenase pathway resulting in prostaglandin formation, anti-proliferative activity leading to reduction in granular tissue formation and leukocyte migration from the vessels.