Anti-inflammatory activity of Maytenus senegalensis root extracts and of maytenoic acid

Maytenus senegalensis (Lam.) Excell (Celastraceae) root extracts were investigated for their topical anti-inflammatory properties by measuring the inhibition of the Croton oil-induced ear oedema in mice. The highest anti-inflammatory activity was detected in the chloroform extract, which reduced the oedematous response with a potency similar to that of the NSAID reference drug indomethacin (ID50=84 and 93 μg/cm2, respectively). Fractionation of the chloroform and of the hexane extracts led to the isolation of maytenoic acid (1), which exhibited a dose-dependent antiphlogistic effect (ID50=0.11 μmol/cm2) twice that of indomethacin (ID50=0.26 μmol/cm2) and only three times lower than that of hydrocortisone (ID50=0.04 μmol/cm2).