Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prevalent and debilitating disease that affects the joints. Infiltration of blood-derived cells in the affected joints upon activation generates reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, resulting in an oxidative stress. One approach to counteract this oxidative stress is the use of antioxidants as therapeutic agents. The methanolic extract of Albizia lebbeck (AL) which exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity, was evaluated for the possible mode of action by studying its antioxidant potential in adjuvant-induced arthritic rats. The biological defense system constituting the superoxide dismutase, catalase level showed a significant increase while the lipid peroxide content was found to decrease to a large extent on AL treatment thereby indicating the extracts has free radical scavenging property. Arthritis was induced in rats by injecting 0.1ml of Freund’s complete adjuvant containing 6 mg of heat killed mycobacterium tuberculosis in 1ml paraffin oil into the left hind paw of the rat intradermally. Albizia lebbeck Methanolic extract (200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg, and 600 mg/kg body weight/day) was administered orally for 12 days. On 21st day of experiment; the biological estimation and radiological observation were carried out along with rheumatoid factor and arthritic index. It can be conclude that Albizia lebbeck methanolic extract possesses strong anti-arthritic and antioxidant property.
