IN VITRO ANTI-INFLAMMATORY POTENTIAL OF MEDICINAL PLANTS AND PLANT-DERIVED BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW

Inflammation is a complex biological response that plays a vital role in protecting the body against pathogens, tissue injury, and harmful stimuli. However, persistent or uncontrolled inflammation is associated with the development of numerous chronic diseases, including arthritis, cardiovascular disorder, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. Although conventional anti-inflammatory drugs are effective, their long-term use is often limited by adverse effects, creating a need for safer and more effective therapeutic alternatives. Medicinal plants have emerged as promising sources of anti-inflammatory agents due to their rich content of bioactive phytochemicals such as flavonoids, phenolics, alkaloids, terpenoids, tannins, and glycosides. This review summarizes recent in vitro studies on the anti-inflammatory potential of medicinal plants, plant-derived compounds, and green synthesized nanoparticles. The reviewed studies demonstrate that these natural products exert anti-inflammatory effects through multiple mechanisms, including inhibition of protein denaturation, stabilization of cellular membranes, suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, reduction of nitric oxide production, inhibition of cyclo-oxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways, modulation of NF-кB signaling, and attenuation of oxidative stress. Furthermore, a strong relationship between antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities was observed among many plant extracts. Overall, the findings highlight the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants as valuable sources of novel anti-inflammatory agents and support further in vivo and clinical investigations for the development of safe and effective treatments for inflammatory disorders.