Phytochemical and antiinflammatory studies on Terminalia catappa.

The antiinflammatory activity of Terminalia catappa leaves ethanolic extract was studied using 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced ear edema in acute and chronic models. A bioassay-oriented fractionation procedure showed that the activity concentrates in the chloroform fraction. Ursolic acid (1) and 2alpha,3beta,23-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (2), isolated from the chloroform fraction, exhibited strong antiinflammatory activities. The results suggest that the triterpenic acids 1 and 2 are responsible for the antiinflammatory activity of T. catappa leaves.