Hydroethanolic extract of Psidium guajava leaf for induced osteoarthritis using a guinea pig model

Abstract

We investigated the therapeutic effects of an extract of Psidium guajava (guava) leaf on experimentally induced osteoarthritis in guinea pig. The left knee of 30 male guinea pigs was anesthetized and the cranial cruciate ligament was severed. The animals were followed for 8 weeks until osteoarthritis was confirmed by radiography and histopathology. Animals were divided randomly into five groups; group 1, the ligament was severed and untreated; group 2, the ligament was severed and treated with piascledine, an extract of soybean and avocado; group 3, the ligament was severed and treated with 200 mg/kg hydroethanolic extract of guava; group 4, the ligament was severed and treated with 400 mg/kg hydroethanolic extract of guava; and group 5, control animals without surgery or extracts. Radiological and histopathological evaluations after 8 weeks showed reduced severity of osteoarthritis in the piascledine treatment group compared to group 1. The guava extract also reduce the severity of osteoarthritis compared to controls. Histopathological examination of treatment and control groups showed that treatment the guava extract improved lesions significantly. Hydroethanolic extracts of guava leaf appears to prevent osteoarthritis by inhibition of free radical formation in the knee joint.

Key words:

• guava
• guinea pig
• histopathology
• osteoarthritis
• piascledine
• Psidium guajava

Acknowledgments

This paper is extracted from the MD thesis of Miss Zeinab Zare, which was supervised by Drs. Nader Tanideh and Akram Jamshidzadeh. The study was approved, registered (ID 8483) and supported by the International Branch of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.