Investigation of the preliminary mechanism of action for the acute anti-inflammatory activity of the methanol extract of Smilax ornata Lem

In folkloric medicine the dried rhizome of the Jamaican sarsaparilla (Smilax ornate Lem.), is given as a decoction to treat chronic rheumatism and rheumatoid arthritis. This particular claim has been scientifically validated; however, the mechanism for its anti-inflammatory activity is still unknown and hence, it forms the reason for this investigation. The objective of this study is to investigate the mechanism of the anti-inflammatory activity of the methanol extract of Smilax ornate Lem. The methanol extract was prepared using the soxhlet apparatus. The preliminary mechanism of action was investigated using models of oedema induced by histamine, bradykinin and prostaglandin E2. For the histamine-induced oedema model, the methanol extract (400 mg/kg) reduced the oedema formation, however, it was not significant (P > 0.05). For the bradykinin-induced oedema model, the methanol extract (400 mg/kg) exhibited significant (P