EVALUATING THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF ETHYL ACETATE AND METHANOL EXTRACTS OF LORANTHUS EUROPAEUS SEEDS IN RAT MODELS OF EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED CHRONIC INFLAMMATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY WITH DEXAMETHASONE

Objective: Loranthus europaeus is a parasitic plant that lives on the branches of trees. The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of two different extracts on chronic inflammation induced by cotton pellets in rats. Methods: Loranthus seed was extracted by maceration with absolute methanol, in which dry Loranthus seeds were triturated in a mortar and macerated with 500 mL of methanol. After 24 h, the mixture was filtered, and the residue was re-extracted. The filtrates were combined and dried under vacuum. The mixture was mixed with 100 mL of distilled water and fractionated by petroleum ether and ethyl acetate using 70 mL × 3 times each. The organic fractions were dried, filtered, and evaporated to dryness. Ethyl acetate and methanol fractions at a dose of 100 mg/kg were tested for suppressive effect for chronic inflammation using the cotton pellet-induced granuloma technique compared with dexamethasone. Results: Both fractions of L. europaeus seeds showed a significant decrease in the weight of exudate and weight of granuloma when compared with the negative control. Furthermore, both fractions showed a significant increase in these two parameters when compared to the standard group (dexamethasone group). Conclusion: The present study showed that the ethyl acetate fraction has a significant suppressive effect on chronic inflammatory processes in rats when compared with the methanol fraction.