Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Oxidant Study of Ethanolic Extract of Mimosa pudica

Objective: Our study includes the investigation of the phytochemical composition and in vitro free radical content and antiinflammatory activity of Mimosa pudica. Materials and Method: Free radical scavenging assay was done to evaluate the dose dependent reduction of free radical by ethanolic extract of Mimosa pudica, this activity was compared with a reference antioxidant i.e. Ascorbic acid. The anti-inflammatory potential of ethanolic extract of Mimosa pudica has been determined by using carrageenan-induced paw edema assay and Cotton wool granuloma in rats. Results: The IC50 of our sample was 24.55 μg/ml, it’s a very much promising result comparing to same reference. At the dose of 300 mg/kg the extract shows considerable inhibitory effect on paw increase 1 hour after carrageenan administration, by inhibiting nearly 50%. The maximum inhibition (43.48%; p<0.001) elicited by the ethanolic extract was recorded after 4 hours after carrageenan injection. Diclofenac sodium which is a reference drug showed a similar inhibitory effect 4 hours after carrageenan administration (50.31%). The cotton wool granuloma is widely used to evaluate the transudative and proliferative components of chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation occurs by means of the developments of proliferated cells and which can be spread in granuloma form. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs decrease the size of granuloma which results from cellular reaction by inhibiting granulocyte infiltration, preventing generation of collagen fibers and suppressing mucopolysaccharides. The extract showed significant (p<0.01) anti-inflammatory activity in cotton wool induced granuloma with 33.64% of inhibition at higher dose. Conclusion: This finding suggests that ethanolic extract of M. pudica possess potent anti-inflammatory activity possibly due to its free radical scavenging properties.