Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Cymbopogon schoenanthus Essential Oil in Animal Models

The species of Cymbopogon are generally used as anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-malarial, and anti-spasmodic agents, as well as in cold treatment.Due to the presence of piperitone in Cymbopogon schoenanthus, we were prompted to evaluate were prompted to assess the anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties of its essential Oil.

The analgesic activity of C. schoenanthus (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, i.p.) were examined using writhing, hot-plate, and formalin tests. The control and standard groups respectively received vehicle, morphine (5 mg/kg, i.p.), and mefenamic acid (30 mg/kg). The anti-inflammatory effect of C. schoenanthus (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) was then assessed by carrageenan method at time intervals of 30 min and 1, 2, 3, and 4 h.

Cymbopogon schoenanthus essential oil was analyzed by GC-MASS and 31 constituents were identified which represented 86.8% of the oil. The major component of the essential oil was piperitone (62.0%). The administrated doses of C. schoenanthus essential oil could not decrease the number of writhes and hot-plate latency in the mice, compared to the control group. However, it exhibited an analgesic effect, especially in the chronic phase of formalin test. In carrageenan test, all administrated doses of C. schoenanthus essential oil significantly reduced the paw edema, compared to the control (p<0.05). The anti-inflammatory activity of the essential oil (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) was comparable with that of mefenamic acid (30 mg/kg).

The results suggest that C. schoenanthus essential oil possesses biologically active constituents that have significant activity against acute inflammation.