In-vivo and in-vitro screening of medicinal plants for their anti-inflammatory activity: an overview.

ABSTRACT

Despite the progress made in medical research for the past decades, the treatment of many serious diseases is still problematic. Inflammation is the response of living tissues to injury. It involves a complex array of enzyme activation, mediator release, extravasations of fluid, cell migration, tissue breakdown and repair. Inflammation has become the focus of global scientific research because of its implication in virtually all human and animal diseases. As a result of adverse effects such as gastric lesions caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), tolerance and dependence induced by opiates, the use of these drugs as antiinflammatory agents have not been successful in all cases. Therefore, new anti-inflammatory drugs lacking these side effects are being researched as alternatives to NSAID and opiates. Attention is being focused on the investigation of the efficacy of plant-based drugs used in the traditional medicine because they are cheap, have little side effects. Hence, in the present review the various animal models used for preclinical screening anti-inflammatory activity herbs was compiled.