Effect of Aqueous Extract of Costus igneus Leaf in Lipoxygenase Inhibition Assay In Vitro

In the present work, the aqueous extract from leaves of Costus igneus was extracted and assessed for its ability to inhibit the lipoxygenase enzyme responsible in mediating inflammatory responses. The extract was obtained in 17.2% yield and tested positive for of alkaloids, glycosides, phenolics, saponin, tannins, flavonoids and sterols.The total phenolics in the extract was evaluated using Folic-ciocalteau reagent method and was quantified to be 27.72 GAE mg/g. The percent inhibition of lipoxygenase enzyme ranged from 6.50 to 47.54 % for the extract solutions and was dose dependent. The results led us to conclude that the aqueous extract of C. igneus possessed significant anti-inflammatory action which could be due to the presence of antioxidant component in the extract.