Thesis Abstract

<p> Crateva adansonii is a medicinal herb commonly used in parts of Africa because<br>of the side effects of Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAID), like heart<br>diseases and kidney failure. Inflammation is a major public heart issue in the world<br>but treatment is becoming complex because of the side effects of antiinflammatory<br>pharmaceutical drugs. Hence the need for alternative drug is highly<br>required. This research work investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of<br>dichloromethane fraction of methanol extract of Crateva adansonii stem bark,<br>using rodent model. Adult Swiss albino rats (110-200g) of either sex were<br>randomlydivided into 5 groups of 4 animals each. Groups 2, 3, 4, and 5 received<br>different doses of the extract (300mg, 500mg, 700mg, and 900mg) in 3% v/v<br>tween 80 administered intraperitonally respectively. Control group-1 received<br>volume of 3%v/v tween 80 and standards group received 100mg/kg Ibuprofen.<br>One hour later acute inflammation was induced by injection of 0.1ml of undiluted<br>egg albumin into the sub planter of the right hand paw of rats. The volume of the<br>paw was measured by mercury displacement before and at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 &amp; 3<br>hours after egg albumin injection, while the standard was measured at internals of<br>one hour, for up to 4 hours. Edema formation was assessed in terms of the<br>difference in the zero time per volume of the injected pair and its volume at the<br>different time after egg albumin injection. For each dose of extract, percentage<br>inhibition of edema was calculated percentage inhibition. Result show that Crateva<br>adansonii may have anti-inflammatory effects. This finding supports the use stem<br>bark of Crateva adansonii in not only traditional medicine for the treatment of<br>inflammation. <br></p>

Thesis Overview

<p> 1.0 Introduction<br>Research on analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs has gained great attention for<br>the past ten years (Farouk et al., 2008). However, the number of new drugs<br>remains low. Most analgesic and anti- inflammatory compounds available on<br>market have adverse effects, including life-threatening, bleeding or perforation of<br>gastro duodenal tract (Buttgereit et al., 2001). Consequently there results the need<br>to search for more active compounds with less adverse effects.<br>Free radicals and reactive oxygen species are by products of numerous<br>physiological and biochemical processes. Natural antioxidants and antiinflammatoryeffects<br>have been found in a number of food and agricultural products<br>like seed, roots, stem bark. Besides the traditional resources used for antioxidants,<br>many plant species have been investigated in the search for natural antioxidants<br>and anti-inflammatory effect.<br>There is renewed and increased interest in plants as source of new pharmaceutical<br>drugs. Crateva Adansonii commonly known as the garlic pear and temple plant and<br>many other names in a variety of dialect has been viewed to have great anti<br>inflammatory effect, thus studied here on.(Banias et al. 1992).<br>Anti-inflammation is therefore understood as a process in which the body responds<br>to antigenic stimulus to injuries and infections in a coordinated manner in order to<br>contain a site of change, localize the responds and restore tissue function .it<br>involves the reaction of vascularized tissues to local injury and the local reaction<br>and resulting morphological changes, the destruction or removal of infectious<br>material etc. (Koch 1972).<br>11<br>1.1 Crateva Adansonii<br>The flowering tree is called the sacred garlic pear and temple plant, genus:<br>Crateva, Family: Capparaceae. The tree is sometimes called the spider tree because<br>the showy flowers bear long, spidery stamens. It is native to Japan, Australia, much<br>of Southeast Asia and several South Pacific islands. It is grown elsewhere for fruit,<br>especially in parts of the African continent. The fruit of the tree is edible. The<br>nectar-filled flowers are attractive to a multitude of insects and birds. The pierid<br>butterfly (Hebomoiaglaucippe) is a frequent visitor to this plant. The rough back<br>of this plant is faintly greenish especially when dried up.<br>Mostly, the bark of this plant stem, root and leaves are medicinal, and hence giving<br>focus to the study of the stem bark for anti-inflammatory effect is highly proper<br>and considerable.<br>1.2 Research Aim and Objectives.<br>The research aim at the use of Crateva adansonii methanol extract to evaluate antiinflammatory<br>activity of different fraction of the extract, by administration of this<br>fraction on induced acute inflammation. Using fresh egg albumin, on adult albino<br>rats. As an objective to compare the therapeutic potential, either to observe the<br>physiological impact of Crateva adansonii methanol extracts fractions on white<br>albino rats and determines the anti-inflammatory effect. <br></p>