Three indigenous plants used in anti-cancer remedies, Garcinia kola Heckel (stem bark), Uvaria chamae P. Beauv. (root) and Olax subscorpioidea Oliv. (root) show analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities in animal models.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Phytochemicals with anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties are known to inhibit tumour initiation, promotion and progression. Hence, there is an increasingly-convincing rationale for employing remedies containing those phytochemicals in the treatment of cancers and also as analgesic and anti-inflammatory adjuvants in therapy. The plants Garcinia kola Heckel (Clusiaceae), stem bark; Uvaria chamae P. Beauv. (Annonaceae), root; and Olax subscorpioidea Oliv. (Olacaceae), root, have been documented to be part of various indigenous anti-cancer regimens.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To determine if the three plants exhibit significant anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using established models, the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the three plants were investigated.

RESULTS: Pre-treatment with the plant extracts at 100, 200 and 400mg/kg produced inhibition of writhes; G. kola and U. chamae showed no significant effect on formalin-induced pain, but O. subscorpioidea produced inhibition in both phases of the formalin test. Similarly, while G. kola and U. chamae did not produce any significant inhibitory effect in the xylene-induced ear oedema model, the oedema was significantly reduced by O. subscorpioidea pre-treatment. However, all the three plants significantly inhibited the time-dependent increase in paw circumference in the carrageenan- and formaldehyde-induced rat paw oedema tests, with peak effects observed at 400mg/kg, 6h after the induction of oedema, comparable in some cases to the effects of two standard drugs, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac and the anti-inflammatory antibiotic doxycycline.

CONCLUSION: We conclude that the three plant extracts possess analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, thus providing a scientific rationale for their inclusion in some traditional anti-cancer regimens.