Pharmacological Evaluation of Stem Bark of Callicarpa arborea Roxb

Abstract

The ethanol extract of stem bark of Callicarpa arborea and its different fractions were investigated for
various pharmacological properties. In the acetic acid-induced writhing inhibition assay, the ethanol extract and its
chloroform and ethyl acetate soluble fractions at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight significantly inhibited writhing
response with 42.7%, 70.3% and 32.8% of inhibition, respectively. In the antioxidant assay by DPPH, the ethanol
extract and its pet ether and chloroform soluble partitionates demonstrated significant free radical scavenging activity
with IC50 values of 41.53, 14.59 and 71.2 μg/mL, respectively. In the disc diffusion method, the carbon tetrachloride
soluble materials showed potential antimicrobial activity against all the tested organisms with zone of inhibition
ranging from 19-22 mm at a concentration of 400 μg/disc. On the other hand, the pet ether soluble fraction induced
significant clot lysis (30.43%) when compared to negative control. Our findings from the studies clearly indicate that
the stem bark of C. arborea possesses potential antinociceptive, antioxidant, antimicrobial and thrombolytic
activities, which further warrant its systematic chemical investigation in order to isolate the biologically active
molecules.