In Vivo Evaluation of the Immunomodulatory and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Crude Red Fruit (Pandanus Conoideus Lamk.) Oil

Abstract

This study evaluates the effectiveness of crude red fruit oil (CRFO) as an immunomodulator and anti-inflammatory agent through in vivo testing on Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The red fruit oil was extracted using a dry extraction method and administered to male rats, which were divided into six treatment groups (n=5) in a completely randomized design. Acute inflammation was induced using carrageenan injection, while immunomodulatory effects were tested through the cotton pellet granuloma method. The treatment groups consisted of normal control, negative (Na-CMC 0.5%), positive (imboost) and CRFO at doses of 0.081, 0.243 and 0.813 mL/kg body weight, except normal control, all treatment groups were involving phagocytosis and acute-chronic inflammation. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test for statistical significance (p-value < 0.05). The results showed that CRFO contained 8,135 ± 152 mg/kg carotenoids and 15,482 ± 122 mg/kg tocopherols, contributing to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. CRFO significantly inhibited edema by up to 62.60%, enhanced peritoneal macrophage phagocytosis capacity (p-value < 0.05), reduced granuloma formation (p-value < 0.05) and suppressed inflammatory exudates (p-value < 0.05). The CRFO doses of 0.243 and 0.813 mL/kg body weight provided anti-inflammatory effects comparable to the positive control. Moreover, these CRFO levels demonstrated good safety profiles without significantly affecting the rats’ physiological parameters. This study provides scientific evidence that CRFO has strong potential as a natural immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory agent. These findings support the development of CRFO as an adjunctive therapy for managing inflammatory conditions and as a functional supplement to enhance immune system function. This discovery offers a safer, nature-based alternative to existing commercial supplements.