CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

Research on analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs has gained great attention for the past ten years (Farouk et al., 2008). However, the number of new drugs remains low. Most analgesic and anti- inflammatory compounds available on market have adverse effects, including life-threatening, bleeding or perforation of gastro duodenal tract (Buttgereit et al., 2001). Consequently there results the need to search for more active compounds with less adverse effects.

Free radicals and reactive oxygen species are by products of numerous physiological and biochemical processes. Natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatoryeffects have been found in a number of food and agricultural products like seed, roots, stem bark. Besides the traditional resources used for antioxidants, many plant species have been investigated in the search for natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effect.

There is renewed and increased interest in plants as source of new pharmaceutical drugs. Crateva Adansonii commonly known as the garlic pear and temple plant and many other names in a variety of dialect has been viewed to have great anti inflammatory effect, thus studied here on.(Banias et al. 1992).

Anti-inflammation is therefore understood as a process in which the body responds to antigenic stimulus to injuries and infections in a coordinated manner in order to contain a site of change, localize the responds and restore tissue function .it involves the reaction of vascularized tissues to local injury and the local reaction and resulting morphological changes, the destruction or removal of infectious material etc. (Koch 1972).

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1.1 Crateva Adansonii

The flowering tree is called the sacred garlic pear and temple plant, genus:

Crateva, Family: Capparaceae. The tree is sometimes called the spider tree because the showy flowers bear long, spidery stamens. It is native to Japan, Australia, much of Southeast Asia and several South Pacific islands. It is grown elsewhere for fruit, especially in parts of the African continent. The fruit of the tree is edible. The nectar-filled flowers are attractive to a multitude of insects and birds. The pierid butterfly (Hebomoiaglaucippe) is a frequent visitor to this plant. The rough back of this plant is faintly greenish especially when dried up.

Mostly, the bark of this plant stem, root and leaves are medicinal, and hence giving focus to the study of the stem bark for anti-inflammatory effect is highly proper and considerable.

1.2 Research Aim and Objectives.

The research aim at the use of Crateva adansonii methanol extract to evaluate anti-inflammatory activity of different fraction of the extract, by administration of this fraction on induced acute inflammation. Using fresh egg albumin, on adult albino rats. As an objective to compare the therapeutic potential, either to observe the physiological impact of Crateva adansonii methanol extracts fractions on white albino rats and determines the anti-inflammatory effect.