Phytopharmacological Evaluation of the Leaves of Alangium Salvifolium (I.F.) Wang with Special Reference to Anti-Asthmatic Activity

Abstract

Asthma is recognized as a chronic lung disease by increased airway hyper-responsiveness and mucus production that leads to episodes of wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. Asthma is characterized clinically by recurrent bouts of coughing, shortness of breath, cheast tightness, and wheezing; physiologically by widespread, reversible narrowing of the bronchial airways and a marked increased in bronchial responsiveness to inhaled stimuli; and pathologically by lymphocytic, eosinophilic inflammation of the bronchial mucosa. It is also characterized pathologically by remodeling of the bronchial mucosa, with deposition of collagen beneath the epilthelium’s lamina reticularis and hyperplasia of the cells of all structural elements-vessels, smooth muscle, and secretory glands and goblet cells. Alangium salvifolium (L.f) Wang belongs to family Alangiaceae and locally it is called as Ankolam. Alangiaceae is a monogeneric family of trees and shrubs found in tropical and subtropical region. The leaves are used as antibacterial, antioxidant, larvicidal and pesticidal agent using different solvent system like aqueous, chloroform, methanol and hexane. The physicochemical parameters like total ash, water soluble ash, acid insoluble ash, water soluble extractive value, alcohol soluble extractive value were evaluated for the leaf powder. The estimation of the total flavonoid contents of the aqueous and methanolic extract was also done. The methanolic extract contain more flavonoid as compare to the aqueous extract. The effect of methanolic and aqueous extract of the leaf of Alangium salvifolium was studied for anti-asthmatic activity using guinea pig ileum preparation (in vitro), histamine induced bronchospasm in guine pig (in vivo). Its anti-allergic activity was evaluated using passive paw anaphylaxis in rats (in vivo). Both aqueous and methanolic extract of the Alangium salvifolium leaf were used for evaluating the anti asthmatic, anti allergic and anti inflammatory activity. The methanoli bronchospasm in guinea pigs in dose dependent manner with maximum activity at the dose of 300 mg/ kg, both extracts showed the significant (p<0.05) activity. The inhibition of aqueous and methanolic extract against histamine and acetyl choline induced contractions in isolated guinea pig ileum were studied at the dose of 100 μg/ml. where methanolic extract showed more potent inhibition of contraction compared to aqueous extract and it was comparable to the standard aminophylline. At the dose of 200μg/ml both the extracts almost inhibited the ileum contraction and showed the significant (p<0.05) activity. Both the extracts showed the anti allergic potential against mast cell degranulation in rat mesentery. The aqueous and methanolic extracts showed maximum protection at the doses of 30μg/ml where methanolic extract showed percent protection even more than the standard Ketotifen (10 μg/ml) showing potent mast cell stabilizing activity and both extracts showed the significant (p<0.05) activity.