Quality Control and Evaluation of Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities of Ethanolic Extracts from Ha-Rak remedy, Piper betle Linn., Garcinia mangostana Linn., and Their Combined Remedies

Introduction: A Thai herbal remedy, Ha-Rak (HR), Piper betle Linn. (PB) leaves, and Garcinia mangostana Linn. (GM) pericarps tend to relieve inflammatory related atopic dermatitis (AD). Additionally, antioxidants have important role in the AD prevention. Objectives: To develop combined formulas of HR, PB and GM extracts and investigate them on anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, the total flavonoid content (TFC) and the total phenolic content (TPC). Methods: The quality of each dried plant material was evaluated according to Thai Herbal Pharmacopoeia (THP) criteria. Each was extracted by maceration with 95% ethanol, and then combined with a remedy. The inflammatory properties of each extract were assessed using the production inhibition of TNF- α from RAW 264.7 cells. The antioxidant properties were assessed using DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging. The TFC and TPC were also analyzed. Results: The quality of all plant materials passed Thai herbal pharmacopeia standards. HR showed the highest anti inflammatory activity. The combination HMB-321, which is composed of HR:GM:PB in a ratio of 3:2:1, showed the highest anti-inflammatory activity among other combined formulas. Moreover, HMB-321 showed moderate antioxidant activities and capacities. PB showed the highest antioxidant activity but less anti-inflammatory activity. HMB-123, whose proportion of HR:GM:PB was 1:2:3, showed the highest antioxidant activity among the combination of extracts but showed less anti-inflammatory activity. Conclusions: The combination HMB-321 could be a candidate remedy for the prevention and treatment of AD. Further study should be directed to in vivo testing and clinical trials for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.