ABSTRACT:
Anomalous immune reactions associated with psoriasis initiate an inflammatory cascade, prompting rapid multiplication and buildup of skin cells, resulting in distinctive scaly patches covered by flaky, silvery-whitish scales. The major challenges associated with the current practice are limited therapeutics with poor pharmacodynamic behaviour, which led to the search for lead phyto-compounds with potent anti-inflammatory potentiality. The current research investigated the anti-inflammatory potential of some ethnopharmacologically relevant medicinal plants for managing psoriasis. In the preliminary computational screening, betulin (BE) shows more comparable vital molecular interactions with the targeted inflammatory markers. In a simulated biological mimetic environment, BE offers a more thermodynamically stable interaction with the GLUT-1 transporter than all other molecular targets, suggesting its pivotal role in downregulating the glucose uptake mechanism in the inflamed cells. The methanolic extract of Betula utilis D. Don (MEB) shows a significant dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity at concentrations ranging from 5 to 100 µg/ml compared to other plant species. In a carrageenan-induced inflammation model, MEB (400 mg/kg) significantly reduces the paw thickness by 85.86% compared to the diclofenac sodium-treated group (p<0.05). The in vitro and In-vivo anti-inflammatory responses were fine-tuned with cytokine assay. MEB (400 mg/kg) resulted in a notable decrease in pro-inflammatory marker concentrations, registering reductions of 58.48% in IL-17A, 72.56% in IL-4, 65.34% in IL-6, and 56.78% in TNF-a within the paw tissue which is closely related with the standard group. The potential of B. utilis D. Don as a therapeutic adjunct offers hope for more effective and targeted management of chronic skin inflammation conditions associated with psoriasis.