Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of methanol extract of Phellinus rimosus (Berk) Pilat.

The methanolic extract of a macrofungus, P. rimosus possessed significant in vitro superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical and nitric oxide scavenging and lipid peroxidation inhibiting activities. The anti-inflammatory activity of the extract was evaluated in carrageenan and dextran induced acute and formalin induced chronic inflammatory models in mice. The extract showed remarkable anti-inflammatory activity in both models, comparable to the standard reference drug diclofenac. The results suggest that the anti-inflammatory activity of the methanol extract of P. rimosus is possibly attributed to it's free radical scavenging properties. The findings also reveal the potential therapeutic value of P.rimosus extract as an antiinflammatory agent.