Anti-osteoarthritic effects of stem bark extract of Anogeissus latifolia: a comprehensive in-vivo study.

BACKGROUND

Anogeissus latifolia Roxb. (Family: Combretaceae) is an Indian medicinal plant. The bark of the plant is used traditionally in the Ayurvedic system of medicine for the treatment of pain, inflammation, and arthritis. The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effects of ethanol extract of the stem bark of Anogeissus latifolia Roxb. (EAL) in osteoarthritis-induced rats, to verify its use in traditional medicine and contribute to the understanding of its ethnopharmacological importance.

METHODS

Osteoarthritis was induced by injecting 3 mg of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) into the knee joint under anesthesia. The anti-osteoarthritic activity of EAL was investigated at 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg oral doses for 28 days by estimating joint swelling, the weight-bearing capacity of joints, locomotor activity, and serum levels of inflammatory markers such as IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, MMP-1 and MMP-13. Histopathology and radiological examinations of the knee joints were performed.

RESULTS

Treatment with EAL resulted in a marginal, statistically nonsignificant reduction in arthritis-induced joint swelling. The weight-bearing capacity of joints and locomotor activity were improved significantly by the EAL. There was a significant decrease in serum IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, MMP-1 and MMP-13 levels in EAL-treated rats. Arthritis-induced pathological changes in the knee joints were reversed by the EAL.

CONCLUSIONS

The ethanolic stem bark extract of Anogeissus latifolia exhibited anti-osteoarthritic activity in the MIA-induced rat model, potentially mediated through modulation of inflammatory mediators and cytokines.