Aloe schweinfurthii gel: composition physicochemical and biological properties

Abstract

Aloe schweinfurthii Baker (Asphodelaceae) is an indigenous plant to tropical Africa and cultivated for ethnomedical uses but with scanty scientific support in the literature. This study explored the composition, physicochemical and biological properties of its leaf gel. Phytochemical screening of freshly extracted A. schweinfurthii gel and GC/MS analysis of the freeze-dried gel were performed. Proximate, elemental analyses and physicochemical tests were carried out on the fresh gel in comparison with Aloe vera gel. Acute toxicity screening, analgesic and anti-inflammatory tests were carried out on A. schweinfurthii gel using experimental animal models. The anti-inflammatory activities of the gel, and of A. vera gel as control, were compared. The proximate, mineral element compositions and some physicochemical properties of A. schweinfurthii and A. vera leaf gels gave similar results. Phytochemical tests on A. schweinfurthii gel revealed carbohydrates and flavonoids; while six chemical compounds were identified by its GC/MS analysis, the major one being phytol (44.40%). A. schweinfurthii gel was nontoxic in mice at ≤10,000mg/kg dose levels by oral administration. Doses of 250-750mg/kg in mice demonstrated analgesic activities similar to aspirin at 100mg/kg; while the gel at 1000 mg/kg in both rat and mice models demonstrated anti-inflammatory activities comparable to those of A. vera gel (1000mg/kg) and diclofenac (100mg/kg). The potentials of A. schweinfurthii gel for medicinal applications have thus been validated;