EVALUATION OF ANTIINFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY AND INVITRO ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF SPATHODEA CAMPANULATA LEAVES
To evaluate the antibacterial and antiinflammatory activities of the leaves of Spathodea campanulata. Antibacterial activity was conducted with three Gram positive and three Gram negative bacteria by using cylinder plate assay at concentrations of (50, 100, 200 and 400µg/cup). The antiinflammatory activity was conducted by using Carrageenan induced rat paw oedema model. The thickness of paws of rats was measured every hour up to 6 hrs for ethanolic, ethyl acetate and hexane extracts at doses of 200 and 400mg/kg. All extracts (ethanol, ethyl acetate and hexane) from the leaves of Spathodea campanulata showed significant antibacterial activity against tested bacterial strains. They also showed good percentage of inhibition on Carrageenan induced paw oedema; Ethyl acetate extract from the leaves of Spathodea campanulata at two different doses produced significant (P<0.001) percentage of inhibition when compared to ethanol and hexane extracts. Among the three types of Spathodea campanulata leaf extracts, the ethyl acetate extract showed better activity than the other two extracts.