Abstract
Diospyros kaki L. (Ebenaceae) fruit and leaves are traditionally used for the treatment of hypertension and angina, as well as for their antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory effects. We investigated the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities of Diospyros kaki L. (Ebenaceae) in order to scientifically validate its pharmacological importance. In the current study, the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities of ethyl acetate (Per-1), n-butanol (Per-2) and aqueous (Per-3) fractions of a methanol extract of Persimmon leaves were tested. Wistar rats weighing 190-210 g (for the anti-inflammatory assay) and male albino mice (Swiss) weighing 18-24 g (for the antipyretic and analgesic assays) were utilized as the experimental animals. The rats were separated into eight groups (for anti-inflammatory) and seven group (for antipyretic), each consisting of six rats. Each sample was treated orally and two doses: 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight were used in these experiments. The Per-3 sample at a dose of 200 mg/kg produced the highest inflammation inhibition at 59.28%. The same sample at a dose of 200 mg/kg lowered body temperature from 38 degrees C of hyperthermia mice back to 36.65 +/- 0.12 degrees C after 120 min, close to the normal temperature (35.21 +/- 0.29 degrees C). In the tail flick model, sample Per-3 showed 67.74% highest nociception inhibition. Similar results were obtained with Acetic acid and hot-plate assay. These results confirm that the n-butanol and aqueous fractions of persimmon are active and may be used for further pharmacological screening.