Anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic and anti-nociceptive activities of Saururus chinensis extract

Ethnopharmacolgical relevance: The aerial parts of Saururus chinensis Baill. are used for the treatment of edema and inflammatory diseases in the Oriental folk medicine. This study aimed to elucidate anti-inflammatory and related activities of the ethanol extract (SC) of the dried aerial parts of Saururus chinensis Baill. Anti-angiogenic and anti-nociceptive activities of SC were analyzed using the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay and acetic acid-induced writhing response, respectively. Anti-inflammatory activity of SC was evaluated using acetic acid-induced vascular permeability, carrageenan-induced air pouch formation and analyses of nitrite content and induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) level in the macrophage cells. SC dose-dependently displayed a strong inhibition in the CAM angiogenesis. SC showed significant anti-nociceptive activity in the writhing model. The anti-inflammatory activity of SC was also assessed in the two in vivo models, such as vascular permeability and air pouch models in mice. SC suppressed production of nitric oxide and induction of iNOS and cyclooxygenase-2 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. The aerial parts of Saururus chinensis possess potent anti-angiogenic and anti-nociceptive activities in addition to anti-inflammatory activity, which partly supports its therapeutic efficacy.