Evaluation of Anti-Pyretic
Potential of Cassia alata Leaves
Arti Shrivastava1,
Neha Parveen1, Gayatri
Dewangan1, Vinay Sagar
Verma1,
Arin Bhattacharya2,
Mukesh Sharma1*
1Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and
Research, Bhilai C.G. India
2J.K.College of Pharmacy, Bilaspur
C.G. India
ABSTRACT:
Pyrexia or fever
is caused as a secondary impact of infection, tissue damage inflammation, graft
rejection, malignancy or other diseased status. It is the body’s natural
defense to create on environment where infectious
agents or damaged tissue cannot survive. The therapeutic efficacies of many
indigenous plants for various diseases have been described by traditional
herbal medicine practitioners. The presence of various life sustaining
constituents in plants has urged scientists to examine these plants with a view
to determine potential wound healing properties. The Methanolic
and Petroleum ether extract of the leaves of Cassia alata
were investigated for its antipyretic potential in animal models. The
extracts, were administered orally to Rats, it has been found that Mehanolic extract shows the significant Anti pyretic effect
in the 6 Hours and reduces the induced pyrexia significantly. Cassia alata belonging to the family- Fabaceae commonly known as Candle Stick, is a common plant found throughout the
India in evergreen forests and plains.
KEY WORDS:
Cassia alata ; Anti-Pyretic
Activity.
INTRODUCTION:
Herbals are used in the art of healing
since the time immemorial. The primitive man through trial and error gained
knowledge of herbal and passed it on to the next progeny. It is reasonable to
assume that for ten thousands of year herbs were perhaps used for the magical
power as well as for their medicinal values1,2. Pyresis usually results
from microbes such as bacteria or viruses triggering the body's defensive
mechanisms. This activates certain types of cells, some of which release the
substance interleukin and prostaglandin. Numerous medicinal plants and their formulations are used for
fever in ethno-medical practice as well as traditional system of medicine in
India9.A number of these
plants are evaluated for their antipyretic action in light of modern medicine. Cassia alata
is the most ancient plant of India, generally known as a “candle bush”,
botanist known as a Cassia alata (Roxb.) Belonging family Fabaceae.
Medicinal herbs are moving from fringe to
mainstream use with a great number of people seeking remedies and health
approaches free from side effects caused by synthetic chemicals. Cassia alata
is reported10 to contain glycoside, flavonoids,
tannins and alkaloids. It is used as anti-bacterial, anti fungal,
anti-inflammatory, and as analgesic. If we use this plant as a medicine, which
is already used by tribal and rulers, then we can get better results as a drug.
This plant is widely found throughout country3-5. Pyrexia is
“a state of elevated core temperature, which is often, but not necessarily,
part of the defensive response of multicellular
organisms (hosts) to the invasion of live (micro organisms) or inanimate matter
recognized as pathogenic or alien by the host. The febrile response, of which
fever is but 1 component, is a complex physiologic reaction to disease
involving a cytokine mediated rise in core temperature, generation of
acute-phase reactants, and activation of numerous physiologic, endocrinologic, And immunologic systems.6 The rise in core temperature during fever is to be
distinguished from the unregulated rise that occurs during hyperthermia, in
which pyrogenic cytokines are not directly involved
and against which standard antipyretics are largely ineffective. Antipyretics
block or reverse fever’s cytokinemediated rise in
core temperature, but do not affect body temperature in the febrile state. They
are to be distinguished from hypothermia agents (cryogens), which are capable
of lowering core temperature even in the absence of fever.7 The anti
pyretic potential of the Cassia alata Roxb.
Leaves will be studied by Brewer’s yeast induced pyrexia.
MATERIAL AND
METHOD:
Plant material and extraction
The proposed study of Cassia alata leaves were collected from Gatora village, region of Bilaspur,
C.G. l in the month of Dec-Jan 2011. The species for the proposed study was
identified as Cassia alata by Dr. Veenapani Dubey, Head, Dept. of
Botany, C.M. Dubey Post Graduate College Bilaspur (C.G.).Voucher Specimen no.C.M.D.-S.D.-8. First of
all the leaves were washed with water and dried it in sunlight for one hour and
then it was dried in shade. By the help of hand the dried leaves were powdered
and were passed through the sieve no. 60 for powder analysis and coarse powder
was used for phytochemical work. Extract of Cassia
alata (Roxb.) dried
powdered leaves was extracted by using two solvents Petroleum Ether,
Methanol by hot extraction method.
Materials required:-
Experimental models – Male rat weighing 200
– 250gms
Chemicals used – Aqueous suspension of
dried Brewer’s yeast (12%)
Screening of antipyretic activity
Induction of Pyrexia:
Pyrexia induced by subcutaneous injection
of aqueous suspension of dried Brewer’s yeast (12%) rats developing 1 C or more
rise in rectal temperature at 18th hour after injection were treated
with 5% gm acacia.
Preparation of test extract:
Standard drug used for treatment Paracetomol (25mg / kg), ethanolic extract (100mg/kg and
200mg/kg) were prepared and given subcutaneously.
Treatment schedule:
Male rat weighing 200-250 gms were divided into
four groups each consisting of six animals (n=6).
Group I : Served as control,
Group II : Received ethanolic extract,
100mg/kg,
Group III: Received
ethanolic extract, 200mg/Kg
Group IV: Served
as reference standard (Paracetomol 25mg/Kg)
Treatment continued for next four hours
after inducing pyrexia. Temperature
measured after internal of one hour up to 6th hours 8.
RESULT:
The above work shows that drug Cassia alata had antipyretic action. The drug has reduced
the elevated body temperature significantly. When we compare the temperatures
of induction of pyrexia with yeast with methanol and Petroleum Ether extracts of Cassia alata we find that in the 6 hours
drug showed maximum activity [Table 2].
Table
1:
|
Sr. No. |
Treatment |
Initial Rectal temperature |
After yeast induction |
Rectal temperature |
|||
|
2 hour |
4hour |
6 hours |
|||||
|
1) |
38.3 |
39.4 |
39.34 |
39.23 |
39.2 |
39.15 |
|
|
2) |
38.3 |
39.43 |
38.37 |
38.09 |
37.6 |
37.0 |
|
|
3) |
38.28 |
39.35 |
39.18 |
39.09 |
38.5 |
38.3 |
|
|
4) |
Pet ether Extract |
38.20 |
39.20 |
39.13 |
39.07 |
38.4 |
38.12 |
Table
2:
|
Sr. No. |
Induction
temp. v/s Test time |
Mean Diff. |
Significant?
P < 0.05 |
|
1) |
Induction vs 0 hours |
0.3400 |
No |
|
2) |
Induction vs 2 hours |
0.8525 |
No |
|
3) |
Induction vs 4 hours |
1.040 |
No |
|
4) |
Induction vs 6 hours |
1.298 |
Yes |
P value = 0.0441; (P<0.05) Are means significant
different? Yes
CONCLUSION:
The Plant Cassia alata Roxb. belonging to family Fabaceae was selected for the
project. On the basis of ethano-botanical
information, which reveals its uses in like wound healing, inflammation, antifungal, antibacterial, analgesic, antidiabetic,
antiinfectious, antimicrobial and fever etc,
literature survey showed that very less work has been performed on this plant.So we can validate scientifically for folk claim for
its Antipyretic activity. We have also undertakes its detailed pharmacognostical, preliminary phytochemical
and pharmacological investigation to give it appropriate identification and
rationalize its use as drug of therapeutic importance. As we compared to the
drug antipyretic drug Paracetomol that drug sometimes
give the hepatotoxicity in higherdoses.
In case of chronic fever cassia alata can be used as alternatives to Paracetamol. This
project can be extended by making formulation of Cassia alata, after further animal study.
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Received on 30.11.2014 Accepted on 16.12.2014
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Asian J. Pharm.
Res. 4(4): Oct.-Dec.2014;
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