Evaluate the uric acid lowering, pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects of Gnetum montanum plant

Abstract

For gout patients, it is extremely important to find the medicinal herbs derived from nature, with high safety and good supportive effects through each stage of the disease which are very important.  This research evaluated influences of ethanol 45% extract from Gnetum montanum Markgr. on serum uric acid levels lowering ability, anti-inflammation and pain relief to support the treatment of gout. This study was conducted to investigate the hypouricemia effect on potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemia in a mice model, analgesia in the hot plate experiment, and anti-inflammatory activity by λ-carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice of the 45% ethanol extract of G. montanum Markgr. The results revealed that pretreatment with the 45% ethanol extract of G. montanum at the oral doses of 0.42 g/kg and 0.82 g/kg (which are equivalent to 2.5 g and 5 g raw materials/kg) decreased the plasma uric acid as well as a reference drug allopurinol (oral dose of 10 mg/kg) and returned to normal. Besides, the 45% ethanol extract of G. montanum showed acute anti-inflammatory effects in carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice 3 and 24 hours after carrageenan injectionoral administration, as the same as Celebrex® (25 mg/kg). This study also demonstrated the 45% ethanol extract of G. montanum had delayed the reaction time of mice to pain (or an increase the latency to licking/jumping) on hot plate model, as well as morphine (10 mg/kg). The results of evaluating the effectiveness of G. montanum extract provide the basis for further research on preparing preparations from gout to support the treatment of chronic gout.