Phytochemical and Anti-Inflammatory Analysis of Prunus africana Bark Extract

Inflammation is associated with various diseases; Prunus africana (Hook f.) is commonly used in Meru community of Kenya in management of inflammation. Medicinal plants contain phytochemicals associated with pharmacological activities; so, the aim of the present study was evaluating the anti-inflammatory activity of Prunus africana bark extract and qualitative analysis phytochemical of its phytochemicals.

Five hundred mg of the powdered P. africana stem bark was extracted using 1.5 liters of dichloromethane for 24 h. The anti- inflammatory activity was evaluated against carrageenan paw induced edema in mice. The ability of the extracts to suppress the paw inflammation was expressed as a percentage inhibition of paw edema in five groups each comprising of five mice. Group I was treated with DMSO, group II with diclofenac (100 mg/Kg) and experimental groups III, IV and V with 50, 100 and 150 mg/Kg of the plant extract. The ability of the extracts to suppress the paw inflammation was expressed as a percentage inhibition of paw edema in mice.  The qualitative phytochemical analysis was conducted using the standard protocols. 

The percentages paw edema inhibition after the 4th h in the positive control and the experimental groups I, II and III were 13.61, 32.85, 25.15 and 5.92%, respectively. The qualitative evaluation of stem bark extract illustrated presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, quinones, cardiac glycosides, terpenoids, phenolics and coumarins.

Dichloromethane stem bark extract of the P. africana presented anti-inflammatory activity hence a possible candidate for extraction of active anti-inflammatory compounds.