The annonalide diterpene extracted from Casimirella ampla (Miers) reduces inflammatory and antinociceptive events in general models of inflammation.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The plants of the genus Casimirella ampla (Miers) (C. ampla) are extensively used in folk medicine. For a long time, rural communities have been using extracts from its roots for food and therapeutic purposes. The extract is rich in diterpenoid annonalide (Annona), which has antiophidic, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive properties. Inflammation is the body's primary defense mechanism against cell damage and invasion by pathogens, which can trigger acute and chronic inflammatory processes. The first line of treatment for this condition consists of the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but these have numerous associated collateral damages, based on scientific knowledge about diterpenoids from C. ampla, as well as their already reported antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties. AIMS OF THE STUDY: Evaluate the effect of Annona in classic models of inflammation and pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Animals were pretreated with Annona (0.1, 1.0 and 10 mg/kg), or Tween 80 (2%), or indomethacin (Indo) (10 mg/kg) orally in the paw edema tests induced by carrageenan (Cg), serotonin (5-HT), histamine, bradykinin, 48/80 and, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), evaluating microscopic lesion scores, migration of leukocytes to the peritoneal cavity, concentration of myeloperoxide (MPO), malonyldialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH), abdominal contortion test by acetic acid and formalin test. RESULTS: Treatment with Annona compound at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg was more effective in reducing inflammatory, oxidant and nociceptive parameters, as it reduced paw edema induced by carrageenan, through different mediators and migration of inflammatory cells. Furthermore, it worked by reducing the concentration of MPO, MDA, preserving GSH levels and reducing nociception caused by formalin and acetic acid.

Photobiomodulation exerts anti-inflammatory effects on the vascular and cellular phases of experimental inflammatory models.

Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) is a non-thermal therapeutic procedure widely used in clinical practice. It is considered an effective modality of treatment for the control of various inflammatory conditions with fewer adverse effects as compared to conventional therapy. However, despite the clinical effects, the mechanisms of action and dosimetric parameters of PBMT are not fully understood. This study was performed to describe the effects of two different doses of PBMT on experimental models of inflammation. Male Swiss mice were administered with 0.9% of saline or phlogistic agents (carrageenan, dextran, serotonin, histamine, or bradykinin) by intra-plantar injection and were treated with PBMT at a dose of 1 or 5 J/cm2; right after, the variation of the paw volume was made, and histopathological analysis and myeloperoxidase assay of the carrageenan-induced edematous paw tissues were performed. The action of PBMT on carrageenan-induced vascular permeability was further evaluated. Our results showed that PBMT (1 J/cm2) led to an improvement in paw edema induced by the phlogistic agents and further reduced the histological scores. Inhibition of neutrophil migration was observed following the administration of 1 and 5 J/cm2 of PBMT. However, only 1 J/cm2 of PBMT showed beneficial effects on carrageenan-induced edema. Laser at a dose of 1 J/cm2 showed cellular and vascular effects since it was able to reverse all the inflammatory parameters, and laser at a dose of 5 J/cm2 probably has only cellular effects in the presence of acute inflammation.

Polysaccharides derived from Morinda citrifolia Linn reduce inflammatory markers during experimental colitis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: There are many reports of pharmacological activities of extracts and fractions of different vegetable-derived products in the scientific literature and in folk medicine. Ethnopharmacological use of these products by various communities continues to be extensively explored, and they account for more than half of all medications used worldwide. Polysaccharides (PLS) extracted from plants such as Morinda Citrifolia Linn present therapeutic potential in treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis (UC). AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory action of Noni-PLS against the intestinal damage in UC induced by acetic acid in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In acetic acid-induced colitis, the mice were treated intraperitoneally (ip) with Noni-PLS (0.1, 0.3, and 3.0 mg/kg) or subcutaneously (sc) with dexamethasone (2.0 mg/kg) 30 min before euthanasia to determine the best dose of Noni-PLS with an anti-inflammatory effect in the course of UC. The colonic tissue samples were collected for macroscopic, wet weight, microscopic and biochemical (myeloperoxidase (MPO), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), nitrate/nitrite (NO3/NO2), cytokines, cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide (iNOS)) analyses. RESULTS: Treatment with Noni-PLS reduced the intestinal damage induced by acetic acid as it reduced macroscopic and microscopic scores and the wet weight of the colon. In addition, MPO activity and levels of GSH, MDA, NO3/NO2, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and COX-2 expression reduced. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that Noni-PLS exhibits anti-inflammatory action against intestinal damage by reducing inflammatory cell infiltration, oxidative stress, pro-inflammatory action of cytokines, COX-2 and iNOS expression in the inflamed colon. Noni-PLS shows therapeutic potential against inflammatory disorders like UC.

Chemical structure and anti-inflammatory effect of polysaccharide extracted from Morinda citrifolia Linn (Noni).

Polysaccharides extracted from plants are very promising molecules in the field of pharmacotherapy. Knowing this, the aim of this study was to extract, characterize and evaluate the action of the polysaccharide of Morinda citrifolia Linn (Noni-PLS) in biological models of inflammatory processes. The characterization tests shown that sample refers to a heteropolysaccharide composed mainly of homogalacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan. This polysaccharide at dose of 10 mg/kg, when tested in our models of inflammation, showed significant activity in reducing carrageenan-induced paw oedema as well as all mediators edemas. This polysaccharide was able to inhibit the migration of leukocytes to the site of inflammation, and still reduced inflammatory nociception tests. This results, allows us to conclude that the polysaccharide extracted from Morinda citrifolia linn has anti-inflammatory potential since it reversed inflammatory parameters such as edema, leukocyte migration and nociception.