a comparative study upon the therapeutic indices of some natural and synthetic anti-inflammatory agents

objective(s) the aim of the present study was to compare the therapeutic indices of several agents used in treatment of inflammatory conditions which included: vitamin e, hydro-alcoholic extracts of glycyrrhiza glabra, matricaria aurea, dexamethasone, piroxicam and diclofenac using wehi-164 fibrosarcoma cells. materials and methods cytotoxicity evaluation was based on vital dye exclusion assay. matrix-metalloproteinases inhibition (mmpi) was assessed by gelatinase zymography method. the collected data were used to estimate the ic50 (50% mmpi concentration), lc50 (50% cytotoxicity concentration) and the therapeutic index (lc50/ic50). results among the natural anti-inflammatory agents used, m. aurea was the least toxic and the most effective inhibitor of mmp. vitamin e not only increased mmp activity, but also was the most toxic of all the agents tested. next in terms of toxicity to vitamin e was g. glabra. diclofenac was more toxic than both piroxicam and dexamethasone. conclusion findings from this study suggest that medicinal plants reputed to have anti-inflammatory properties are not equally effective and safe. in order to assess the implications of these findings, further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed.