Anti-inflammatory activity in oak gall extracts.

A method for the purification of the Hungarian oak gall extracts containing anti-inflammatory activity is described. The anti-inflammatory activity of the purified extract was tested in the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema and in rat polyarthritis induced by mycobacterial adjuvant. In doses of 4.3 and 8.5 mg/kg i.p., the extract inhibited dose-dependently the formation of paw edema induced by carrageenan in rats. When rats were treated daily from 3 days prior to and 16 days after the injection of the mycobacterial adjuvant, the severity of the polyarthritic symptoms was significantly reduced.