Abstract:
The article reviews recent studies on the anti-inflammatory effects of
herbal extracts with emphasis on different assays that are frequently
used to test the in-vitro anti-inflammatory activity of herbal
constituents. Protein denaturation assays and membrane stabilization
assays are frequently used to evaluate in vitro anti- inflammatory
activities. Many researchers have used minimum of three in vitro
assays to evaluate anti- inflammatory activity of herbal constituents.
Diclofenac, acetyl salicylic acid and indomethacin are the drugs used
as reference standard more frequently. We suggest to reduce the use of
animals in conducting anti-inflammatory activity in vitro studies as
animal ethics is important as human welfare