Pharmacognostic Standardization and Anti-Inflammatory Evaluation of Bacopa monnieri Leaf Extract in Rodent Models

Abstract

In this study, we used validated rodent models to assess the anti-inflammatory effectiveness of Bacopa monnieri leaf extract and to set pharmacognostic guidelines.
Physical, chemical, and microscopic studies were all part of the pharmacognostic review. Paracytic stomata and glandular trichomes were among the distinguishing
physical traits of the leaves, which also had a dorsiventral shape. The purity and quality of the crude drug were indicated by the physicochemical characteristics, which
showed total ash (8.42 ± 0.36%), acid-insoluble ash (1.21 ± 0.09%), water-soluble extractive (18.67 ± 0.54%), and alcohol-soluble extractive (12.34 ± 0.47%). There
were phenolic chemicals, alkaloids, saponins, and flavonoids found in the initial phytochemical screening. Models of carrageenan-induced paw edema and cotton
pellet-induced granuloma in Wistar rats were used to assess the anti-inflammatory efficacy. The standard drug diclofenac sodium (10 mg/kg) demonstrated 71.2%
inhibition of paw edema at the 4th hour compared to the control group, while the ethanolic extract at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg significantly inhibited the swelling
by 38.6% and 62.4%, respectively, in the carrageenan-induced model. The extract showed a 29.8% and 55.7% reduction in granuloma weight at 200 and 400 mg/kg
dosages, respectively, in the cotton pellet-induced granuloma model, in comparison to the standard's 63.5% inhibition. According to the results, the anti-inflammatory
effects of Bacopa monnieri leaf extract are due to its high concentration of phytoconstituents, especially flavonoids and saponins. For accurate plant material
identification and quality control, the pharmacognostic criteria developed in this research can stand as gold standards.