EVALUATION OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECT OF FRUIT PEEL EXTRACTS OF ANNONA SQUAMOSA L. ON MOUSE MODELS OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease arise as a consequence of exposure to antigens that cause arthritis. A number of herbs have been studied and proven to inhibit arthritis, such as artichoke tea, honey and bee venom. In this study, Freund′s Complete Adjuvant (FCA) induced rheumatoid arthritis in mice model was established and evaluated the effect of fruit peel extracts of custard apple, Annona squamosa Linn (AS), on their treatment. After 10 weeks, treated with the peel extracts at high dose, 400 mg/kg/day, the mice body weight increased from 31.56 g to 38.00 g, amount of leukocytes decreased from 8.38 to 5.23 (x10³ cells/mm³) and ankle joint diameter decreased from 4.63 to 3.95 (mm). Histological analysis revealed that effect of fruit peel extracts of AS inhibited invasion of the immune cells into the joint substrate, reduced the fiber formation and restored cartilage structure of synovial membrane. Therefore, AS fruit peel extract prevents inflammatory cell growth of rheumatoid arthritis, increases the number of leukocytes and the body's immunity.