Anti-inflammatory and Anti-arthritic Properties of Mucuna gigantea Plant Extracts: Establishing by Molecular Docking Study.

BACKGROUND

Mucuna giganteais a traditional plant reported in the management of nervous disorders, male infertility, etc., and also exhibits aphrodisiac, anti-oxidant, and antidiabetic properties. Very few studies are conducted on Mucuna gigantea. It has not been pharmacologically evaluated for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). In RA, the body's natural defence mechanism gets confused and begins to target the healthy tissues in the body, which leads to joint pain, swelling, bone erosion, and joint stiffness. It is a condition that is classified as an auto-immune disorder.

METHODS

In-silico docking depicted that beta-sitosterol is present in Mucuna gigantea out of ligand library prepared based on a literature survey using computational analysis. Inflammation was induced by carrageen and chronic inflammation was induced by Freund’s complete adjuvant in the plantar surface of the rats. The petroleum ether, ethanolic and aqueous extracts in three divided doses (75, 150, and 300 mg/kg) were administered orally. Diclofenac sodium (10 mg/kg), prednisolone (5 mg/kg), and methotrexate (0.5 mg/kg) were used as standard. The statistical significance between means was analyzed using one-way ANOVA, followed by Dunnett’s multiple range test. The values are expressed as mean ± SD for each group (n = 6), and ap <0.0001, bp <0.001, and cp <0.05 were compared with a negative control group.

RESULTS

Ethanolic and petroleum ether extracts showed a statistically significant ap <0.0001 effect at 3 hr with 300 mg/kg effect in analgesic activity, whereas aqueous extracts showed statistically significant ap <0.0001 effect at 1.5 hr with 150 and 300 mg/kg. In the carrageen-induced model, all three extracts at 300 mg/kg showed a statistically significant ap <0.0001 effect from 2-4 hr. In Freund’s adjuvant model, all three extracts at all doses showed a statistically significant ap <0.0001 effect. Also, Mucuna gigantea remarkably ameliorated altered WBCs, rheumatoid factor, and positively modified radiographic and histopathological changes.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, these results support the traditional use of Mucuna gigantea as a potent anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic agent that may be proposed for rheumatoid arthritis treatment.