Fatty acid profile and anti-inflammatory activity of fixed plant oils

ABSTRACT

Background: Many seed oils have been used as anti-inflammatory agents, administred by ingestion or topical application in traditional medicine. The objective of this research was to perform a chemical analysis of fatty profile and a pharmacological study through a topical experiment of TPA-induced ear edema test and an internal assay - acetic acid-induced vascular permeability in Swiss mice of some fixed oils popularly used for inflammatory problems, trying to confirm their action. Materials, Methods & Results: Fixed lipids of Ouratea fieldingiana (batiputá), Caryocar coreaceum (pequi), Annacardium occidentale (cashew-nuts), Cocos nucifera (coco-da-bahia), Byrsonima crassifolia (murici) e Elaeis guineenses (palm) were selected for the identification of fatty acids profile by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis and evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity by TPA-induced ear edema test and acetic acid-induced vascular permeability in Swiss male mice. The oils were purchased in local markets or extracted in Soxhlet apparatus with hexane. The oils of cashew nut, murici fruit, and pequi nut presented a high percentage of unsaturated fatty acids (81.80, 74.46 and 60.72 %, respectively). In the oils of batiputá and murici, linoleic acid was the main unsaturated fatty acid (45.06% and 74.66%, respectively) and oleic acid was main constituent in cashew [...]