In-vitro Anti-inflammatory Potential of Nelumbo nucifera Rhizomes

Nelumbo nucifera, commonly known as sacred lotus, is an aquatic plant with significant medicinal properties utilized in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine for centuries. This study investigated the in-vitro anti-inflammatory potential of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of N. nucifera rhizomes through protein denaturation inhibition and red blood cell membrane stabilization assays. The rhizomes were collected, authenticated, and extracted using both aqueous and 80% hydroalcoholic solvents through Soxhlet extraction. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of various bioactive compounds including alkaloids, glycosides, triterpenoids, flavonoids, tannins, and steroids in the hydroalcoholic extract, while the aqueous extract contained flavonoids, saponins, tannins, steroids, and triterpenoids. Both extracts demonstrated concentration-dependent anti-inflammatory activity across the tested concentrations (100, 200, and 500 µg/mL). At 500 µg/mL, the hydroalcoholic extract showed maximum protein denaturation inhibition of 54.18%, while the aqueous extract exhibited 49.50% inhibition. In the membrane stabilization assay, the hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts at 500 µg/mL demonstrated significant protection against red blood cell hemolysis, showing 78.32% and 70.46% protection, respectively, compared to 84.12% protection by the standard drug aspirin at 200 µg/mL. The results suggest that N. nucifera rhizome extracts possess promising anti-inflammatory properties, potentially attributed to their ability to stabilize cell membranes and prevent protein denaturation.