COSTUS SPECIOSUS AND ITS ANTIPSORIATIC ARTHRITIS ACTIVITY: A REVIEW

Abstract

Objective: Psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune disease. The marketed drugs cannot totally cure the disease state as well as they have severe side effects and for that reason researcher and scientists are going for traditional medicines. Costus speciosus is the plant of choice for its several positive activities against psoriatic arthritis.

Methods: Wistar albino healthy rat was taken for 0.1 ml of Freund adjuvant-induced anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory test, and diclofenac sodium (15 mg/kg) was taken as standard drug. The paw volume was measured at different time 1st, 7th, 14th, and 21st days of experiment. In another study, the protocol is same, but indomethacin (10 mg/kg) was taken as standard drug. Another study was performed to know that the plant drug has any lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated COX-protein inhibitor activity or not. An acute anti-inflammatory property was studied in carrageenan-induced paw edema and result is measured by plethysmometer. The chronic anti-inflammatory property was studied by cotton pellet-induced granuloma formation. 400 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg dose of ethanolic extract is administered to the animal of both acute and chronic studies.

Results: In anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory study, after the 21st day, it has found that standard drug (diclofenac sodium) decreases paw volume 40 % where the plant drug reduces it 68.33% and 75.50% at higher and lower dose respectively. In the other study the Standard drug (Indomethacin) show arthritic score of 0.83 and the extract shows 1.67 at its higher concentration. In LPS-stimulated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibition study, extract helps to decrease the LPS-stimulated COX-2 protein nearly similar as methotrexate without any side effect. In the cotton pallet-induced anti-inflammatory study, 400 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg dose of ethanolic extract shows similar result against standard drug.

Conclusion: Although its activity is less compared to the marketed drug, in the other sides, it has very mild adverse effect compared to the marketed Drug. It can be used as a supportive drug in the treatment of Psoriatic arthritis and by chemical modification the activity may be increased without any side effect.