Anti-inflammatory activities of extracts from Oliva sp., Patella rustica, and Littorina littorea collected from Ghana’s coastal shorelines

Abstract Inflammation is one of the means the human body uses to defend itself in the event of infection, trauma, or exposure to toxic substances and it is closely associated with a number of disease symptoms. Steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents have been the drugs of choice for managing inflammation. However, reports of unpleasant side effects have necessitated a search for new anti-inflammatory agents which have minimal side effects. Marine-derived natural products continue to make significant contributions in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical industries and a number of extracts and compounds from marine origin have shown promise as anti-inflammatory agents. In Ghana, extracts that have been screened for their potential anti-inflammatory effects have almost exclusively come from plants. In this work, the anti-inflammatory activities of extracts from three different marine mollusks (Oliva sp., Patella rustica, and Littorina littorea) were evaluated. Extracts were obtained by cold maceration. The carrageenan-induced paw edema model in seven-day old chicks was used to evaluate anti-inflammatory potentials. Of the extracts tested, the ethyl acetate fraction of Oliva sp. was the most potent, with an ED50 of 10.16 mg/kg. The ethanol extract of L. littorea proved to be least effective in reducing inflammation, with an ED50 value of 119.80 mg/kg. When compared, extracts from Oliva sp. seemed to possess greater anti-inflammatory potentials than either P. rustica or L. littorea counterparts. The ethyl acetate fraction of Oliva sp. was a potent and promising anti-inflammatory agent and could be explored for anti-inflammatory lead compounds.