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Luffa echinata Roxb. (Curcurbitaceae) is a climber herb useful traditional in various disease treatment. The present study was designed to evaluate antiasthmatic effect of methanolic extract of Luffa echinata Roxb. fruit using various experimental animal models. Various invivo models like histamine induced bronchospasm in guinea pig, passive paw anaphylaxis model in rat, milk induced leukocytosis in mice and in vitro model clonidine induced mast cell degranulation were used to study antiasthmatic activity of the fruit extract. The methanolic extract of Luffa echinata fruit was administered in dose 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg dose (p.o.). The methanolic extract in both doses showed significant increase in PCT time and inhibition of paw oedema in histamine induced bronchospasm and passive paw anaphylaxis model respectively. Further the extracts (50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg dose (p.o.) exhibited significant reduction in total leukocyte count in milk induced leukocytosis in mice as compared to disease control. In vitro clonidine induced mast cell degranulation model, the methanolic extract of Luffa echinata fruit produced significantly dose dependent protection against clonidine induced mast cell degranulation. These results suggest that methanolic extract of Luffa echinata Roxb. fruit possessed bronchodilatory, antiinflammatory and mast cell stabilizing effect. Therfore, we can conclude that Luffa echinata Roxb. fruit may have therapeutical value as antiasthmatic drug. KEYWORDS: Luffa echinata, Antiasthmatic activity, Mast cell stabilizing effect. |
