Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory activities and acute toxicity of the polyherbal formulation: Romix®

Abstract

Context: Polyherbal formulations containing different plants are used for the treatment of various diseases. Romix® powder is a polyherbal formulation consisting of 14 traditionally used herbs and is used as a food supplement. There is no information about pharmaceutical activities of Romix®. Objective: This study determined the total phenolic and total flavonoid content, and investigated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and acute toxicity of Romix®. Material and methods: The total phenolics in the extracts were determined colorimetrically by using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The total flavonoid content of the extracts was evaluated by a spectrophotometric method. The quercetin content of the extract was analyzed using the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity assays. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by the carrageenan-induced paw edema test in the rat. Results: The flavonoid and phenolics contents of Romix® were 50.58 and 265.83mg/g in ethanol extract and 18.60 and 222.50mg/g in water extract, respectively. Total quercetin content of Romix® was determined as 2.857mg/g. Antioxidant activity results showed that ethanol extract in 1mg/mL concentration (4.49775 μg/mL) had moderate antioxidant activity than water extract in the same concentration (4.28191 μg/mL). Intraperitoneal administration of 25mg/kg Romix® extract exhibited anti-inflammatory activity and inhibited paw swelling at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6h in rats with no acute toxicity. Conclusion: These findings suggest that Romix® due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities may be useful in the prevention or treatment of aging-related and inflammatory diseases. © 2012 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc.