Anti-inflammatory and anti-pyretic effects of Hibiscus rostellatus Guill. and Perr

The present study was carried out to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties of the aqueous leaf extract of H. rostellatus. Carrageenan-induced hind paw edema in rats, xylene-induced ear oedema in mice and cotton pellet-induced granuloma formation in rats were used to investigate anti-inflammatory activity, and brewer’s yeast-induced pyrexia in mice was used to determine antipyretic effect. Oral administration of the plant extract (50 and 100 mg/kg) exhibited a significant (p<0.05) inhibition of paw edema induced by carrageenan with a maximum inhibition of 62.68% recorded with the dose 100 mg/kg compared to the control. In the xylene-induced edema test, the extract at the same doses, also exhibited an anti-inflammatory activity. It was also demonstrate that H. rostellatusextract at similar doses reduced glaucomatous tissue formation in cotton pelletinduced granuloma test. These results indicate that the aqueous leaf extract of H.rostellatus possess anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties and may support its folk use for the treatment of inflammatory-related diseases.