RESUMO
Modern day medical science is still waiting for more potent and safer drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs are no exception
Purpose of the study: Seeds of Mucuna pruriens have shown to possess anti-inflammatory activity and we planned to test flavonoids and alkaloids to find the active principles because both of them are found in relatively higher concentration in seeds of Mucuna pruriens plant
Materials and Methods: Study has been carried out in four groups of eight albino mice each, group I [control], group II [standard], group III [flavonoids] and group IV [alkaloids]. Carrageenan induced paw edema has been used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity by recording the edema development after 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4- hours after Carrageen an injection in the right dorsal surface of hind paw of mice
Results: Flavonoids have shown significant anti-inflammatory activity with p <0.05 after 1-, 3- and 4 hours whereas they have mild activity at 2 hours [P < 0.05]
Conclusion: Isolated flavonoids from Mucuna pruriens seeds have showed significant anti-inflammatory activity whereas alkaloids have not shown any significant anti-inflammatory activity. So, flavonoids are most likely responsible for the anti-inflammatory effect of Mucuna pruriens