Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg or breadfruit is used in ethnomedicne for the treatment of boils and wounds, hypertension, skin infections, and in pain management. This study therefore evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity, as well as the antioxidant potential of an ethanol stem bark extract of Artocarpus altilis. Foot volume, in chick carrageenan-induced foot edema model, was measured before and after treatment with 30-300 mg/kg of the extract, 0.3-3 mg/kg dexamethasone, and 10-100 mg/kg diclofenac. Total phenol content evaluation, DPPH radical scavenging and phosphomolybdenum antioxidant capacity assays, and phytochemical analysis of the extract were performed. The extract caused a dose – dependent decrease (P<0.05) in foot edema with the highest inhibition of 61.29±1.76% at a dose of 300 mg/kg; comparable to diclofenac and dexamethasone (69.56±1.01% and 68.74±0.98% respectively). The extract, which had a phenolic content of 159.89 mg of tannic acid equivalent (TAE) per gram, showed significant antioxidant activity. Triterpenoids, flavonoids, tannins and coumarins, found in the phytochemical analysis could have been responsible for the activity of the extract. Per the findings, the ethanolic stem bark extract of Artocarpus altilis exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities and therefore gives credence to it use in folklore medicine.
