Anti-inflammatory activity of Aloe vera against a spectrum of irritants.

The authors have evaluated the spectrum of anti-inflammatory activity of A. vera in a number of models of inflammation in the hind paw of the experimental rat induced by kaolin, carrageenan, albumin, dextran, gelatin, and mustard. Croton oil was used in a topical model of inflammation to determine the oral activity and time-dependent dosing of A. vera. The authors found that A. vera was active in all models of inflammation. Of the various irritants tested, A. vera was especially active against gelatin-induced and kaolin-induced edema and, in contrast, had minimal activity when tested against dextran-induced edema. Oral activity of A. vera was demonstrated to be dependent on the presence of anthraquinones. The various irritant-induced edema models provided a broad spectrum of anti-inflammatory activity for A. vera.