Evaluation of Antirheumatoid Arthritis Activity of Aqueous Methanol Extract of Globba winitti Rhizome

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder affecting about 0.35 – 1% of the world population. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the aqueous methanol extract of Globba winitti (AMEGW) in the treatment of  Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA)-induced arthritis in rats. AMEGW was obtained by maceration in methanol, the acute toxicity of the extract was evaluated by single oral administration of 2000 mg/kg dose of AMEGW to Swiss mice. Arthritis was induced by intraplantar injection of FCA (0.1 mL) to the rats. The FCA-induced arthritic rats were treated with AMEGW  at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg per oral,once daily for 28 days. The anti-arthritic effect of the extract was evaluated by measuring various parameters, including paw volume, joint diameter, pain threshold, thermal hyperalgesia (paw withdrawal latency), mechanical nociceptive threshold, and body weight. On day 28, rats were sacrificed, blood samples were collected for haematological, biochemical, and antioxidant analysis. Radiological and histopathological examination of ankle joints were also performed. AMEGW demonstrated anti-arthritic activity by reducing paw volume and joint diameter, accompanied by an increase in pain threshold, mechanical nociceptive threshold, paw withdrawal latency, and body weights of arthritic rats in a dose-dependent manner. AMEGW at doses of 400 and 200 mg/kg reversed the alterations in haematological, biochemical, and antioxidant parameters caused by FCA-induced arthritis. Furthermore, AMEGW effectively suppressed joint destruction, as evidenced by radiological and histopathological analysis. Therefore, G. winitti exhibits potential as a viable preventive or therapeutic alternative for the treatment of inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.