Total steroid and terpenoid enriched fraction from Euphorbia neriifolia Linn offers protection against nociceptive-pain, inflammation, and in vitro arthritis model: An insight of mechanistic study

• Published in: International immunopharmacology 2016-12, Vol.41, p.106-115
• Main Authors: Palit, Partha, Mandal, Subhash C., Bhunia, Biswanath
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetic Acid; Analgesics; Analgesics - analysis; Analgesics - pharmacology; Analgesics - therapeutic use; Analgesics - toxicity; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - analysis; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - therapeutic use; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - toxicity; Arachidonate 12-Lipoxygenase - metabolism; Arthritis; Arthritis - chemically induced; Arthritis - drug therapy; Arthritis - pathology; Asthma; Carrageenan; Cells, Cultured; Chemical compounds; Cyclooxygenase; Cytokines; Cytokines - antagonists & inhibitors; Cytokines - metabolism; Denaturation; Euphorbia; Euphorbia neriifolia; Female; Flowers & plants; Folk medicine; Hot Temperature; Humans; In vitro methods and tests; Inflammation; Inhibition; Interferon; Interleukin 12; Interleukin 6; Leukocytes; Lipooxygenase; Lipopolysaccharides; Lipopolysaccharides - pharmacology; Liquid oxygen; Lung - drug effects; Lung - metabolism; Macrophages; Macrophages - drug effects; Macrophages - metabolism; Male; Molecules; Neuralgia; Nitric Oxide - metabolism; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II - metabolism; Nitric-oxide; Nociceptive Pain - chemically induced; Nociceptive Pain - drug therapy; Nociceptive-pain; Pain; Pain management; Pain perception; Peripheral blood mononuclear cells; Pharmacology; Phytochemicals - analysis; Phytochemicals - pharmacology; Phytochemicals - therapeutic use; Phytochemicals - toxicity; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - analysis; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Plant Extracts - toxicity; Plant Stems; Pro-inflammatory cytokine; Prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase; Protein denaturation; Rats, Wistar; Spectrophotometry; Steroids - analysis; Steroids - pharmacology; Steroids - therapeutic use; Steroids - toxicity; Terpenes - analysis; Terpenes - pharmacology; Terpenes - therapeutic use; Terpenes - toxicity; Tumor necrosis factor
• ISSN: 1567-5769; 1878-1705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2016.10.024

The plant Euphorbia neriifolia Linn has been successfully used for the management of acute inflammatory, arthritic, nociceptive pain and relieves the asthmatic symptom as a tribal folk medicine in India. The present study was conducted to evaluate the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-arthritic activity from total steroid and terpenoid rich fractions derived from hydro-alcoholic extract of Euphorbia neriifolia stem (STF-HAENS). STF-HAENS fraction demonstrated 68.58±2.5% and 75.25±5.1% protection against acetic acid-induced pain and central neuropathic pain at 80mg/kg. It also showed 98.47% protection against acute inflammation at 100mg/kg with 1.7 fold higher protective activity than the standard drug. The fraction exhibited this efficacy via inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-12 and IL-6 by 74%, 81.26%, 92.10% and 93.4% respectively at 100μg/ml. It also showed dual inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipooxygenase (LOX) activity in a dose-dependent manner that elicited the desired pharmacological action. The fraction downregulated nitric-oxide production from lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated PBMC derived macrophages. The spectrophotometric analysis reveals the STF-HAENS induced ameliorative effect against heat-induced denaturation of BSA protein and exhibited significant antiproteinase activity. Our findings suggest that STF-HAENS could be used as an effective safe therapeutic agent for treatment of nociceptive pain, acute inflammation and arthritis. [Display omitted] •Total steroid and terpenoid rich fraction was separated from crude hydro-ethanolic extracts of Euphorbia neriifolia Linn stem (STF-HAENS) to investigate the pharmacological activity in pain, inflammation and arthritis model.•STF-HAENS exhibited 68.58±2.5% and 75.25±5.1% protection against acetic acid induced pain and central neuropathic pain at 80mg/kg.•Demonstrated 98.47% protection against acute-inflammation at 100mg/kg with 1.7 fold better activities than the standard drug (indomethacin).•Showed protective effect against heat induced denaturation of BSA protein and exhibition of significant anti-proteinase and membrane stabilisation activity to reveal the in vitro anti-arthritic effect.•Downregulated proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-6 and nitric-oxide production followed by dual inhibition of COX and LOX to explore the anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive pain activity.