Antiarthritic activity of various extracts of Mesua ferrea Linn. seed.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Mesua ferrea Linn. (Cluciaseae), Cobra's saffron, is named after the heaviness of its timber and is cultivated in tropical climates for its form, foliage, and fragrant flowers. It is prescribed in the Ayurvedic literature for the treatment of pain, inflammation, and rheumatic conditions.

OBJECTIVE: In present investigation, activity of Mesua ferrea and its evaluation in the formaldehyde and Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis in rats is reported.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The extracts obtained from successive extraction were subjected to preliminary phytochemical investigation and antiarthritic activity was evaluated by inducing formaldehyde and CFA. Body weight changes and haematological parameters were measured.

RESULTS: The results indicate that Mesua ferrea protects rats against formaldehyde and CFA induced arthritis. The body weight changes and haematological perturbations induced by CFA were maintained. The overall results indicated that Mesua ferrea exerts a potent protective effect against formaldehyde and adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats.

CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that the present study validates the ethnomedicinal use of seeds of Mesua ferrea in the treatment of arthritis conditions.