PHARMACOGNOSTIC PROFILE AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF THE METHANOL EXTRACT OF Sphenocentrum jollyanum (MENISPERMACEAE) STEM
BASIL NNAEMEKA UGWU1*, FELIX IFEANYI NWAFOR1,2, SAMSON CHUKWUEMEKA EZEA1, OLIVE CHINEZE EGBUCHULEM1, PIERRE CLARA CHIAMAKA AGUOKOGBUO1, MICHEL TCHIMENE KENNE1,3, CHRISTOPHER OBODIKE EZUGWU1
1 Department of Pharmacognosy and Environmental Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Nigeria.
2 Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Nigeria.
3 International Center for Ethnomedicine and Drug Development (InterCEDD), 110 Aku Road, Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria.
Afr. J Pharm Res Dev; Volume 18(2): 799-807; 2026
ABSTRACT
Sphenocentrum jollyanum is traditionally used by the Nsukka people to manage inflammatory conditions. This study established pharmacognostic standards for its stem and scientifically validated its anti-inflammatory efficacy. Fresh, powdered and anatomical sections of the stem were evaluated to establish the macromorphological, micromorphological, chemomicroscopic and some physicochemical and extractive parameters using established methodologies. Phytochemical screening was determined using standard methods. Acute toxicity study was conducted following Lorke’s procedure. The anti-inflammatory effect of the methanol crude extract was assessed using egg-albumen-induced and carrageenan-induced paw oedema in rats. Macroscopic features include a thin, erect, sparingly branched stem up to 1.5 m tall; young stems are short-hairy, becoming glabrous when mature; grey bark with yellowish inner stem; woody and firm in older parts, softer in young shoots. Microscopy revealed prism-shaped calcium oxalate crystals, oil cells, lignified trichomes, vascular bundles, cambium, and epidermal cells; transverse sections showed a dorsiventral structure. Chemomicroscopy confirmed starch grains, lignified tissues, calcium oxalate, tannins, cellulose, and oil in the powdered stem. Physicochemical parameters of the powdered stem were: moisture content 11.30 ± 0.98%, total ash 6.53 ± 0.03%, acid-insoluble ash 3.50 ± 0.02%, water-soluble ash 2.91 ± 0.14%; extractive values: n-hexane 1.96 ± 0.02%, ethyl acetate 3.64 ± 0.02%, water 6.24 ± 0.01%, alcohol 7.30 ± 0.04%. Phytochemical screening detected alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and anthocyanins. Acute toxicity indicated safety up to 5000 mg/kg body weight. The methanol crude extract exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity (P<0.05) in rat paw oedema models. At 400 mg/kg, it achieved 47.02% inhibition in egg albumin-induced oedema and 41.93% in carrageenan-induced oedema, comparable to acetylsalicylic acid (46.26% and 43.57%, respectively). The established pharmacognostic standards serve as diagnostic tools for standardization and identification. The results confirm the stem’s anti-inflammatory potential, positioning it as a promising source of safer anti-inflammatory agents.
Keywords: Anti-inflammatory, pharmacognostic, physicochemical parameters, Sphenocentrum jollyanum.
*Correspondence: [email protected]
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59493/ajopred/2026.2.8 | ISSN: 0794-800X (print); 1596-2431 (online)