Anti-inflammatory activity of the major compound from methanol extract of Phaleria macrocarpa leaves

Abstract

Phaleria macrocarpa or mahkota dewa is a plant originally found in Papua. The variety usages of this plant such as treatment for cancer, impotency, diabetes mellitus and skin diseases lead to the studies of verification and validation of the claims made by the Indonesian traditional medicine practitioners. This study was done by targeting the chemical marker compound, phalerin, to ensure whether this particular compound contribute to the anti-inflammatory activity of the plant. The phalerin was extracted from Phaleria macrocarpa leaves using methanol and the compound was verified by the HPLC, NMR and LCMS. The anti-inflammatory potential of phalerin was evaluated using three in vitro assays which are Lipoxygenase (LOX), Hyaluronidase (HYA) and Xanthine Oxidase (XO) assays. The phalerin was identified as mild anti-inflammatory compound with percentage inhibition of 34.83±4.64 and 23.47±9.43% in XO and LOX assay, respectively. However, phalerin does not showing significant activity on HYA assay with 1.34±0.57% of inhibition. This study verified that phalerin does have effects on inflammation and functions moderately on XO and LOX assays. © 2012 Asian Network for Scientific Information.