JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL FOOD J Med Food 8 (1) 2005, 93–99 © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. and Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Cleome gynandra L. on Hematological and Cellular Constituents in Adjuvant-Induced Arthritic Rats R.T. Narendhirakannan, 1 M. Kandaswamy, 1 and S. Subramanian 2 Departments of 1 Inorganic Chemistry and 2 Biochemistry, University of Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India ABSTRACT Cleome gynandra L. (cat whiskers) has traditionally been used for the treatment of rheumatic and other in- flammatory conditions. In this work, the methanolic extract of the leaves of C. gynandra exhibited significant anti-inflam- matory activity in adjuvant-induced arthritic rats. Phytochemical screening was carried out to ascertain the qualitative com- position of the leaves. Arthritis was induced by Freund’s complete adjuvant. A significant decrease in paw edema with a remarkable increase in body weight was observed following oral administration of the leaf extract (150 mg/kg of body weight). The alterations in hematological and other biochemical parameters were restored to near normal after a treatment period of 30 days. These results demonstrate that the plant extract has no harmful effect and exerts in vivo anti-inflammatory proper- ties against adjuvant-induced arthritis. KEY WORDS: • anti-arthritic • anti-inflammatory • cat whiskers • cellular constituents • Cleome gynandra • hema- tological parameters 93 INTRODUCTION R HEUMATOID ARTHRITIS is an important inflammatory condition in which chronic inflammation results in pain and destruction of bone and cartilage, which can lead to se- vere disability. The systemic changes that occur in rheuma- toid arthritis can result in shortening of life. 1 Chronic dis- ease conditions in humans and animals involve not only the obvious signs of inflammation, but also evoke many changes in hematological and biochemical systems. 2 Several drugs have been developed to curtail chronic in- flammation. As a result of adverse side effects like gastric lesions caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, tolerance, and dependence induced by opiates, the use of these drugs as anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents has not been successful in all cases. 3 Therefore, new anti-in- flammatory and analgesic drugs without side effects are be- ing searched for all over the world as an alternative to non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opiates. During this process, the investigation of the efficacy of plant-based drugs used in traditional medicine has been paid great attention because these drugs elicit few side effects and are cheap; according to the World Health Organization, 80% of the world population still relies mainly on plant drugs. 4 Most of our marketed medicines are distillations, combinations, reproductions, or variations of substances found in nature. Our forefathers recommended some of the substances, which are abundantly found in nature, long be- fore their value was demonstrated and understood by scien- tific methods. Cleome gynandra L. (cat whiskers), a common weed that grows throughout India, is an erect herbaceous perennial herb that has long been used as a household remedy for a variety of ailments, including inflammation. 5 The leaves and seeds of cat whiskers are used in many countries for ear- ache, epileptic fits, stomachache, constipation, and inflam- mation. The plant is used by the poor classes as a vegetable, as the leaves contain high amounts of vitamins A and C along with minerals such as calcium and iron. 6–9 Fresh ma- ture leaves of C. gynandra are used in Ayurveda medicine for a variety of disease conditions. 10 The above-claimed ac- tivities of the leaves of C. gynandra have not previously been investigated using controlled experiments in detail. Ad- juvant-induced arthritis in experimental rats, a chronic in- flammatory disease characterized by infiltration of the syn- ovial membrane and associated with destruction of the joints, resembles rheumatoid arthritis in humans. 11 The pur- pose of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory ac- tivity of C. gynandra. Manuscript received 13 February 2004. Revision accepted 20 May 2004. Address reprint requests to: Dr. S. Subramanian, Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600025, Tamil Nadu, India, E-mail: subbus2020@yahoo.co.in