ANTIINFLAMMATORY PRINCIPLES OF CAESALPINIA SAPPAN WOOD AND OF HAEMATOXYLON CAMPECHIANUM WOOD¹

Abstract

Caesalpinia sap pan wood has been evaluated for its antiinflammatory effects based on its traditional usage in Oriental medicine to reveal that it is active in the fertile egg assay. Then, its extract has been fractionated monitored by the physiological activity, resulting in the isolation of brazilin as the active principle. Brazilin, together with hematoxylin a constituent of Haematoxylon campechianum wood, have been subjected to various antiinflammatory assays. Both the substances have proved to exhibit significant antiinflammatory activities in the carrageenin-induced rat paw edema test and the fertile egg test: the order of activity was brazilin > hematoxylin, and in the former test brazilin at 10 mgl kg p.o. was more effective than berberine chloride at 100 mg/kg p.o. Brazilin has also been shown to be approximately as active as berberine chloride in the granuloma pellet assay in rats. These properties of brazilin support its clinical application of the crude drug sappan wood in certain inflammatory disorders.