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In Vivo Anti-Inflammatory Assessment of Quillaja saponaria Mol. Extracts



Author(s)

Maité Rodríguez-Díaz, Olosmira Correa, Carlos Cartagena, Sylvia Arrau, Bruce K. Cassels and Carla Delporte

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DOI:10.17265/1934-7391/2013.12.004

Aqueous extracts from the native Chilean Quillaja saponaria tree are used orally and topically to treat lung inflammatory problems and toothache. This study aimed to corroborate their presumed anti-inflammatory activity, identify their active ingredients and validate their use. The topical anti-inflammatory activity of a commercial partially purified Quillaja saponin aqueous extract (Ultra Dry 100Q, UD), the crude acid hydrolysate (H-100Q) of this material, its two most abundant sapogenins QA (quillaic acid) and PA (phytolaccagenic acid), and two formulations containing QA were subjected to topical assays for the inhibition of murine ear inflammation elicited by AA (arachidonic acid) or TPA (phorbol ester). The dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity of QA was confirmed in both AA (maximal effect 92.1%) and TPA (maximal effect 62.2%) assays, and PA showed significant anti-inflammatory activity against AA (46.5%). Two dermo pharmaceutical formulations containing 8% w/v QA as the active ingredient—a cream and a gel—also exhibited significant anti-inflammatory effects in the TPA (50.8%) and AA (39.5%) assays.

Quillaja saponaria, triterpenoids, quillaic acid, phytolaccagenic acid, topical anti-inflammatory activity, phorbol acetate, arachidonic acid.