PRE-CLINICAL STUDIES ON THE EFFICACY OF IXORA CULTIVAR LEAVES CRUDE EXTRACT AS AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AGENT SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

Abstract

This study evaluated the phytochemical composition, acute toxicity, dermal safety, and anti-inflammatory potential of Ixora cultivar (locally known as santan) leaves collected from Marinduque, Philippines. The plant specimen was authenticated by the National Museum of the Philippines, Botany Division, as Ixora cultivar (family Rubiaceae). Crude ethanolic extraction, qualitative phytochemical screening, quantitative flavonoid determination, oral median lethal dose (LD50) testing, dermal irritation testing, and carrageenan-induced paw-edema testing were conducted through the Department of Science and Technology (Region IV-B) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños Institute of Plant Breeding. Phytochemical screening identified fats and oils, saponins, hydrolysable tannins, 2-deoxysugars, unsaturated steroids/triterpenes, and flavonoids (leucoanthocyanins and a γ-benzopyrone-nucleus compound), with an average total flavonoid content of 1.978%. Oral administration in female ICR mice yielded a median lethal dose (LD50) of 16.7687 ± 1.0316 g/kg, classifying the extract as practically non-toxic. Topical application on albino rabbits produced only a slight, transient erythema at the 4th hour that resolved within 24 hours, with no edema observed, indicating a non-irritant dermal profile. In the carrageenan-induced paw-edema assay, however, topical application of the crude extract at 0.5%, 1%, and 2% concentrations did not reduce paw swelling relative to the distilled-water negative control (0% protection); instead, all three concentrations produced larger average foot-volume differences than the negative control, corresponding to protection values of −48.72%, −33.33%, and −32.48%, respectively — in marked contrast to the positive control, ketoprofen, which achieved 72.65% protection against edema. Taken together, the findings establish that Ixora cultivar leaves are practically non-toxic and non-irritant and contain phytochemical classes with documented anti-inflammatory potential in the literature, but the crude ethanolic extract, under the topical protocol and concentrations tested, did not demonstrate measurable anti-inflammatory activity. The researchers recommend isolation and purification of the extract's active constituents to evaluate their independent and synergistic effects, and to explore alternative formulations, concentrations, or routes of administration before further pursuing Ixora cultivar as a candidate anti-inflammatory agent.