Administration of Centella asiatica ethanolic extract reduces tumor necrosis factor-alpha in hearts of aged sprague-dawley rats but not kidneys

Aging is a time-related process leading to progressive deterioration of physiological bodily functions and increased vulnerability to degenerative disorders. The current trend of rapid growth in the global aging population poses a challenge for healthcare due to the increasing incidence of chronic diseases. In spite of this, preventive anti-aging agents such as vitamin supplements are not adequately available in many countries. Centella asiatica (CA), a traditional herb native to Southeast Asia, has been widely studied and demonstrated potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotective, wound healing, and vasculoprotective effects in clinical studies. This study investigates the effect of CA treatment on aged Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Twenty-four rats were divided into four groups: positive control (vitamin E 6 IU), negative control (placebo), treatment group (CA 300 mg/kgBW), and comparison group (young SD rats with placebo). After 28 days of treatment, SD rats were terminated. TNF-α concentration in heart and kidney tissues were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We found that CA showed a significant decrease in heart TNF-alpha (p = 0.021) yet yields no statistically significant decrease in kidney TNF-alpha levels (p = 0.617). However, it was possible to identify a trend toward decreasing kidney TNF-α concentration in groups treated with CA as it was lower than the positive and negative control group. Our finding suggests different aging pathophysiology in different body organs and CA’s potential as an anti-aging agent, corresponding to previous studies showing potent anti-inflammatory effects of CA in multiple organs. All in all, further research and exploration need to be made on aging pathophysiology and CA with variations of a more significant dose and longer time of administration.