Anti-inflammatory Activities of Total Leaf Extracts of Ficus sycomorus L. (Moraceae) used in Traditional Medicine in the Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease

Background: This study has been carried out to evaluate the in vivo anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-pyretic effects of an aqueous decoction and ethanol extract (95%) of Ficus sycomorus leaves. Methods: The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated by the carrageenan-induced mice paw oedema model. The non-morphine type analgesic effect was evaluated trough acetic acid-induced writhing test. The morphine type analgesic activity was tested by mouse tail–flick test. The anti-pyretic activity was tested by induced hyperthermia in mice with brewer's yeast. Data analysis used the one way ANOVA test. Results: The anti-inflammatory effects of the two extracts, at doses of 300 and 500 mg/kg b.w., were dose dependent and comparable to those of the reference controls, indomethacin (1 mg/kg b.w.) and hydrocortisone (10 mg/kg b.w.). At the same dose, the analgesic effect of the ethanol extract on abdominal writhings induced by acetic acid, was comparable to those Lysine acetylsalicylate (LAS, 300 mg/kg b.w) and hydrocortisone (10 mg/kg b.w.) used as controls. As for the morphine type analgesic effects of the two extracts tested at doses of 300 and 500 mg / kg both were significantly higher in comparison with the blank control (p<0.05) and comparable to that of morphine (5 mg/kg b.w.) from the 75th minute. The antipyretic activity of the extracts at the same doses was comparable to those of the LAS (300 mg/ kg b.w.) and hydrocortisone (10 mg/kg b.w.) from the third hour. Conclusion: The results obtained justify the use of the plant in traditional medicine and show the significance of Ficus sycomorus leaves in the search for new anti-inflammatory molecules in the treatment of sickle cell disease.