Comparative study of the anti-inflammatory activity of hydroalcoholic extracts of different parts of the Diospyros mespiliformis plant

The aim of this study is to verify the anti-inflammatory potential of different parts of the plant Diospyros mespiliformis.  This plant is known in traditional medicine to combat various types of ailments. The leaves are used to treat headaches, arthritis, skin infections, gingivitis, toothache and wounds.  Infused bark is used to treat stomach aches, coughs, bronchial diseases including tuberculosis, bruises and boils. The roots are used to treat tumors. [1-2] For all these reasons, a comparative study of the anti-inflammatory activity of different parts of the plant was undertaken.  This was done by determining the lipoxygenase inhibition capacity of hydroalcoholic extracts (HE) from different parts of the plant.  The results showed that leaves were the most active with an IC50 of 0.05281mg/mL, followed by bark with an IC50 of 0.07058 mg/mL and roots with an IC50 of 0.09429 mg/mL. Given that such high activity was obtained with these extracts, their purification could hold great promise in the development of new ways to treat inflammation.