Exploring the anti-asthmatic and anti-inflammatory potencies of Calotropis gigantea Linn flower extracts

Calotropis gigantea Linn (Asclepiadaceae) is a medicinal plant with a rich ethnomedicinal history. This study aimed to scientifically validate the anti-asthmatic and anti-inflammatory properties of different solvent extracts (petroleum ether, chloroform, ethanol, and aqueous) derived from its flowers. At 100 and 150 mg/kg, i.p. doses of different solvent extracts of Calotropis, an anti-asthmatic and anti-inflammatory activity, were evaluated using the milk-induced leukocytosis and eosinophilia and egg albumin-induced mast cell degranulation in mice and the carrageenan-induced acute paw edema in rats, respectively. Among the extracts, the ethanol extract demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory and anti-asthmatic effects, as evidenced by the suppression of leukocyte and eosinophil infiltration, mast cell degranulation, and edema formation. These findings suggest that ethanol extract of Calotropis gigantea flowers (EECGF) possesses promising therapeutic potential for allergic and inflammatory disorders.