Perpustakaan Digital ITB

Inflammation is the body’s primary defence mechanism elicited upon engaging with foreign substances, indicated by redness, swelling and pain on the inflamed site. Though remains an integral system in response to external threats, persistent inflammation will result in chronic conditions as autoimmune disorder and metabolic syndrome. NSAID is a common remedy to inflammation, however its prolonged consumption increases risk for GI bleeding, myocardial infarction and kidney injury. This urges the need for naturally sourced alternatives such as African leaves to treating inflammation. The study aims to investigate the anti-inflammatory potential of African (Gymnanthemum amygdalinum (Delile) Sch.Bip) leaf extracts and fractions by protein denaturation assay and blood membrane stabilization. The sample undergoes sequential extraction by maceration using three solvents of increasing polarity (n-hexane, ethyl acetate and 96% ethanol). Activity determination by blood membrane stabilization concludes African leaves n-hexane extract to be the highest anti-inflammatory potency extract with an obtained IC50 values of 753.42 ± 2.86 ?g/mL, though the respective IC50 value for protein denaturation assay is unable to be determined. Based on this fact and the critically low extract yield for n-hexane, the second-best performing extract is selected for further study: the ethyl acetate extract of African leaves. Ethyl acetate extract is fractionated by vacuum liquid chromatography using gradient eluent combinations made of n-hexane, ethyl acetate and ethanol. Anti-inflammatory potency of six fraction combinations is evaluated, with Fraction 4-6 being the most potent combination according to blood membrane stabilization assay and protein denaturation assay, with an IC50 values 1000.73 ± 2.92 ?g/mL and 825.97 ± 1.64 ?g/mL respectively. Continued activity determination, further characterisation and identification processes are necessary for development of pharmaceutical preparations containing the African leaves extract or fraction.