Effect of methanol extract from flower petals of Tagetes patula L. on acute and chronic inflammation model

The methanol extract of the florets of Tagetes patula (MEFTP) inhibited acute and chronic inflammation in mice and rats. MEFTP significantly suppressed hind‐paw oedema induced by γ‐carrageenin in mice. Furthermore, MEFTP not only inhibited the hind‐paw oedema induced by various acute phlogogens, such as histamine, serotonin, bradykinin and prostaglandin E1, but also suppressed the increase of vascular permeability by acetic acid, indicating that it primarily acts at the exudative stage of inflammation. In the chronic inflammation, MEFTP did not inhibit the proliferation of granulation tissue when tested by the cotton pellet method, however, it was effective on the development of adjuvant arthritis in rats. Oral MEFTP inhibited acute and chronic inflammation in mice and rats. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.