Antiinflammatory properties of betulinic acid and xylopic acid in the carrageenan-induced pleurisy model of lung inflammation in mice

This study investigated the antiinflammatory properties of betulinic acid (BA) and xylopic acid(XA) extracted from Margaritaria discoidea and Xylopia aethiopica, respectively. M. discoidea andX. aethiopica are plants native in Ghana and the West‐African region and used traditionally totreat different pathologies including inflammatory conditions. The antiinflammatory effect ofBA and XA was established by an in vivo assay using the carrageenan‐induced pleural inflamma-tion model in mice. Also, the ability of BA and XA to increase catalase, superoxide dismutase,glutathione levels and decrease lipid peroxidation level in reactive oxidative assays was assessed.In addition, the ability of XA and BA to prevent potential lung tissue damage was quantified. Pre-treatment with BA and XA reduced significantly, signs of inflammation: neutrophil infiltration,oedema, and alveoli septal thickening in carrageenan‐treated lung tissue. Additionally, BA or XApretreatment lowered the degree of lipid peroxidation in the lung tissue while increasing thelevels of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione in vivo. Comparatively, XA was moreefficacious than BA in the prevention of lung tissue damage. BA and XA derived from X. aethiopicaand M. discoidea possess antiinflammatory and in vivo antioxidant activities in mice pleurisymodel. The effect of these compounds gives credence to the traditional use in the managementof inflammatory conditions of the airway.