Hindawi Publishing Corporation ISRN Pharmacology Volume 2013, Article ID 634106, 8 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/634106 Research Article Therapeutic Effect of Ficus lacor Aerial Roots of Various Fractions on Adjuvant-Induced Arthritic Rats Rakesh K. Sindhu and Sandeep Arora Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Chandigarh-Patiala NH-64, Rajpura, Patiala 140401, Punjab, India Correspondence should be addressed to Rakesh K. Sindhu; rakeshsindhu16@gmail.com Received 30 May 2013; Accepted 19 August 2013 Academic Editors: T. Irie and T. B. Vree Copyright © 2013 R. K. Sindhu and S. Arora. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Te present study was carried out to evaluate antiarthritic potential and phytochemical screening of various extracts of Ficus lacor aerial roots. Te antiarthritic activity was evaluated by adjuvant-induced arthritis at the dose of 50 and 100mg/kg body weight and the standard drug used was indomethacin. Te extracts administered in higher doses reduced the lesions to a greater extent showing a dose-dependent decrease in lesions comparable with standard drug indomethacin. Te extracts of FLPE and FLET showed signifcant increase in body weight as compared to arthritic control group as well as an increase in liver weight, a decrease in liver weight, and an increase in spleen weight in arthritis control. Te extracts of FLPE and FLET showed signifcant decrease in WBC count, increase in hemoglobin contents, and RBC count as compared to control group. FLEA and FLCF were not able to produce a signifcant efect. Tere was signifcant reduction in production of IL-1 and TNF- level between model group and control group in serum. In conclusion, we demonstrate that, at 100mg/kg body weight, doses of FLPE and PLET extracts were highly efective in preventing and suppressing the development of adjuvant-induced arthritis. 1. Introduction Infammation is common and essential protective response to the harmful stimuli such as infectious agents, antigen- antibody reactions, thermal, chemical, and physical agents, and ischemia [1]. It is caused by a variety of stimuli including physical damage, ultraviolet irradiation, microbial invasion, and immune reactions. Te classical key features of infam- mation are redness, warmth, swelling, and pain. Infamma- tion cascades can lead to the development of diseases such as arthritis, chronic asthma, multiple sclerosis, infammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis. Many of these diseases are debilitating and are becoming increasingly common in our aging society. Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are the major infammatory diseases afecting people worldwide [2]. Rheumatoid arthritis is an infammatory condition that usually afects multiple joints. It afects 0.3%–1.0% of the gen- eral population and is more prevalent among women in the developed countries. Persistent infammation leads to joint destruction, but the disease can be controlled with drugs. Osteoarthritis, which is characterized by loss of joint cartilage that leads to pain and loss of function primarily in the knees and hips, afects 9.6% of men and 18% of women aged more than 60 years. Increases in life expectancy and aging popula- tions are expected to make osteoarthritis the fourth leading cause of disability by the year 2020 [3]. Te pathological changes, causes, mediators, and threat are observed in acute and chronic infammations. Infammations are generally characterized by certain regular events such as redness, swelling, heat, pain and at certain times lead to exudation and loss of function. Te process of infammation involves several events and mediators which are potent chemical substances found in the body tissues, such as prostaglandins, leukotrienes, prostacyclins, lymphokines and chemokines like interferon- (IFN-), , interleukin-(IL-) 1, IL-8, his- tamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and tissue necrosis factor- (TNF-)[4]. Anti-infammatory drugs of synthetic origin are classifed as steroidal and nonsteroidal anti-infam- matory agents. Te origin of these chemical compounds started when salicylates were isolated from leaf extract of wil- low bark Salix alba and were potentially used by the people of North America in 200 BC and regarded as frst gen- eration anti-infammatory agents [5]. Te second- and third-generation compounds with preferential and selective