Antipyretic effect of five root extracts of Ban-Cha-Moon-Yai remedy in rats

Abstract

Ben-Cha-Moon-Yai herbal remedy is an antipyretic and anti-inflammatory drug in Thai traditional medicine which includes roots of Ma-tum, Phe-ka, Lam-yai, Chare-tare and Kad-lin. We determined the antipyretic activity of the root extracts of Ben-Cha-Moon-Yai remedy (BMY), Aegle marmelos (AM), Oroxylum indicum (OI), Dolichandrone serrulata (DS), Dimocarpus longan (DL) and Walsura trichostemon (WT) using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced fever model in rats compared to that of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). Fever was induced in animals with an intramuscular injection of LPS (50 g/kg) 1 hr after oral administration of 2% Tween 80, ASA 300 mg/kg or BMY (125-500 mg/kg) and various doses of AM, OI, DL, DS, WT (25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg). Rectal temperature was measured before the pretreatment and at 1 hr intervals for 7 hr after LPS injection. All doses of BMY, AM and OI at the dose of 400 mg/kg and WT at the dose of 100 mg/kg significantly (p<0.05) attenuated the increased rectal temperature produced by LPS. DS and DL showed negligible antipyretic potency. These results demonstrated that BMY at all doses tested possesses antipyretic activity. The antipyretic effect of BMY may be due to the antipyretic property of AM, OI and WT. This is the first study that helps clarifying the pharmacological action of this herbal remedy and provides additional scientific support for this Thai traditional medicine.