Objective: To elucidate the chemical constituents and
anti-inflammatory activity of the methanol/chloroform extracts from
seeds and seedlings of
Suaeda salsa (L.) Pall. Methods : The seedlings and seeds of Suaeda salsa were extracted with methanol/chloroform (2∶1) and transmethylated by methanol/acetyl chloride (5∶1). The constituents of the transmethylated extracts were analyzed by GC-MS. The ear edema of the normal and adrenalectomized mice induced by croton oil, vascular permeability formed by histamine in mice and hind paw edema caused by Carrageenin in rats were used to determine the inhibition to acute inflammnation. The suppression to the granuloma induced by croton oil and paw edema of adjuvant-induced polyarthritis in rats were utilized to verify the inhibition to the chronic inflammation. Results : Fourteen fatty acid methylesters together with four sterols in the extracts of seedlings were present and hexadecanoic acid methyl ester (25.9%), 9, 12-octadecandienoic acid methyl ester (28.3%) and 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid methyl ester (8.95%) were identified as the major components. Ten fatty acids methyl esters predominated by 9,12-octadecadienoic acid methyl ester (83.41%) were present in the extracts of seeds. The two extracts evidently inhibited the ear swelling of normal and adrenalectomized mice, decreased vascular permeability and suppressed the formation of granuloma in dose-dependent activity within 50-300mg·kg -1 ·d -1 . The two extracts at 300 mg·kg -1 ·d -1 suggested significant inhibition to the adjuvant-induced and Carrageenin-induced paw edema and indicated evident reduction to the formation of PGE 2 and MDA in the inflammatory paw and remarkably increased the CAT activity of erythrocytes within 50-300mg·kg -1 ·d -1 . No obvious difference was observed in the inhibition of ear swelling between the normal and adrenalectomized mice, in the weight of adrenal and vitamin C in it in different dose treatment of the test rats. The extracts from the seedlings exhibited stronger
anti-inflammatory activity than that of the extracts from the seeds. Conclusion : The anti-inflammatory activity of the two extracts was mainly realized by suppressing formation of inflammatory mediators, decreasing the content of MDA from inflammatory exudates and accordingly increasing the activity of catalase. The content of gammalinolenic acid methyl ester in the extracts of seedling endowed its stronger anti-inflammatory activity than that of the extracts from seeds.