Viper venom-induced inflammation and inhibition of free radical formation by pure compound (2-hydroxy-4-methoxy benzoic acid) isolated and purified from anantamul (Hemidesmus indicus R.Br) root extract
Introduction
In India, many plants are reported to be used as a remedy for a number of diseases. The root of Hemidesmus indicus R.Br, locally called anantamul, is found throughout India. It is used for the treatment of many diseases as a blood purifier, diuretic, antirheumatic and antidote in snakebite (Chopra et al., 1956; Alam et al., 1996). Despite the traditional use of the plant in folk medicine, only a few articles have reported the chemical constituents of the H. indicus species, including coumarino-lignoids, flavonoids and triterpenoids (Mandal et al., 1991), and knowledge of the pharmacological action of its extracts and constituents remains poor. Studies from this laboratory have recently demonstrated an active antisnake venom compound isolated, purified and characterized from the methanolic root extract of H. indicus (Alam et al., 1994). The present investigation explored the snake (Russell's viper) venom neutralizing activity of the pure compound (2-hydroxy-4-methoxy benzoic acid) on experimental rodents.
Section snippets
Venom
Lyophilized snake venom from Russell's viper (Vipera russelli) was commercially collected from Calcutta Snake Park (Calcutta, India) and preserved in a desiccator at 4°C in an amber-coloured glass vial until further use.
The snake venom was dissolved in 0.9% saline and centrifuged at 900 g for 10 min. The supernatant was used as venom and kept at 8°C until further use. The venom concentration was expressed in terms of dry weight (mg/ml, stock venom solution).
Animals
Charles Foster albino rats (male),
Anti-inflammatory activity of pure compound
The anti-inflammatory activity of the pure compound was assessed by mouse paw oedema and cotton pellet granuloma. Mouse paw oedema induced by V. russelli venom (1 μg) attained its peak at 1 hr of observation. The pure compound at a dose of 5 mg/kg (i.p.) was found to produce significant inhibition of venom-induced inflammation. Inhibition of inflammation induced by the pure compound was maximum (53.7±1.7%) at 2 hr of observation, as compared with aspirin (44.7±0.95%) and indomethacin (40.2±1.7%).
Discussion
Injury and death due to snakebite are sociomedical problem that occur throughout the world. Snake envenomation causes different pathophysiological changes such as inflammation, increased body temperature, haemorrhage, necrosis, nephrotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, haemostatic changes and ultimately death (Theakston and Reid, 1983). Antiserum is the only therapeutic agent that will neutralize venom, despite several side-effects. The search for suitable antagonists against snake envenomation is
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, India, for partial financial support (Senior Research fellowship to MIA).
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