Additional evidence for the anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties of the sesquiterpene polygodial.

This study evaluates further the anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties of polygodial, a sesquiterpene extracted from the barks plant Drymis winteri (Winteraceae). Polygodial (12.8-128.1 micromol/kg, i.p.) 30 min prior, inhibited significantly the mouse paw oedema induced by prostaglandin E2, bradykinin (BK) substance P (SP), dextran, platelet activating factor (PAF) or carrageenan. Polygodial also inhibited arachidonic acid-, capsaicin- and croton oil-induced ear oedema in mice. Polygodial (42.7 micromol/kg, i.p.), significantly inhibited both exudation and cell influx when assessed in the pleurisy induced by SP and histamine, and to a less extent the inflammatory response caused by carrageenan, PAF, BK and des-Arg9-BK. Finally, polygodial (4.2-42.7 micromol/kg, i.p.) produced dose-related inhibition of paw oedema induced by ovalbumin, protecting in a time-dependent manner the anaphylactic shock induced by endovenous administration of ovalbumin in animals which had been actively sensitised by this antigen. These and our previous results indicate that the major component present in the bark of the plant D. winteri, the sesquiterpene polygodial exerts an interesting anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties when assessed in rats and mice.

Isolation and identification of active compounds from Drimys winteri barks.

The barks of Drimys winteri are used in folk medicine as a remedy to treat several diseases, including dolorous processes. Previous pre-clinical experiments carried out in our laboratories revealed that the hydroalcoholic extract of this plant showed anti-allergenic, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive properties. Such promising results led us to determine the analgesic compounds present in D. winteri. Through conventional chromatographic procedures with fractions of CH2Cl2 and EtOAc obtained from methanolic extract, it was found that polygodial (1), 1-beta-(p-methoxycynnamyl) polygodial (2), taxifolin (3) and astilbin (4), are the main components of these fractions. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited marked antinociceptive action by intraperitoneal and oral routes against acetic acid-induced abdominal constrictions in mice, suggesting that they are responsible, at least partially, for the antinociceptive effects of this plant. In addition, both compounds were notably more potent than aspirin and acetaminophen, two well-known drugs used here as comparison.

Anti-hyperalgesic properties of the extract and of the main sesquiterpene polygodial isolated from the barks of Drymis winteri (Winteraceae).

This study analyses the anti-hyperalgesic properties of the hydroalcoholic extract (HE) and the sesquiterpene polygodial isolated from the barks of Drymis winteri (Winteraceae). The HE (10 to 60 mg kg(-1), i.p. or 100 to 600 mg kg(-1), p.o.), 4 h prior, produced significant inhibition of abdominal constrictions caused by i.p. injection of acetic acid, kaolin and zymosan in mice. The mean ID50s were: 21.4, 33.7 and 36.6 mg kg(-1); 173.0, 123.0 and 366.0 mg kg(-1), by i.p. and by oral route, respectively. This effect lasted for up to 8 h. The HE at the same range of doses produced dose-related inhibition of both phases of the formalin-induced licking. The calculated mean ID50s values for the early phase were: 26.1 and 43.0 mg kg(-1), while for the late phase they were 7.3 and 72.7 mg kg(-1), respectively, when given by i.p. and by oral route. The HE (10 to 60 mg kg(-1), i.p. or 25 to 200 mg kg(-1), p.o.), 4 h prior, produced significant inhibition of capsaicin-induced neurogenic pain with mean ID50 values of 18.0 and 68.0 mg kg(-1), respectively. The HE (3 to 100 mg kg(-1), p.o., 1 h) inhibited in a graded manner, the hyperalgesia induced by bradykinin (3 nmol/paw) or substance P (10 nmol/paw) in rat paw, with mean ED50 values of 54.5 and 53.7 mg kg(-1), respectively. However, the HE did not affect the hyperalgesia induced by carrageenan or PGE2. When assessed in the hot-plate test, the HE (200 mg kg(-1), p.o.) was inactive. Naloxone (1 mg kg(-1), i.p.) significantly reversed the antinociceptive effects caused by either morphine (5 mg kg(-1), s.c.) or by HE (60 mg kg(-1), i.p.). Polygodial (0.1 to 10 mg kg(-1), i.p.) produced significant inhibition of acetic acid, kaolin and zymosan-induced writhing in mice, being about 14 to 27-fold more potent than the HE at the ID50 level. Together these data provide support for a long-lasting anti-hyperalgesic property for the active principle(s) present in the barks of D. winteri when assessed in several models of inflammatory or neurogenic pain. Its actions involve, at least in part, an interaction with opioid pathway through a naloxone-sensitive mechanism, seeming not to be related with a non-specific peripheral or central depressant actions. Finally, the sesquiterpene polygodial isolated from this plant, appears to be mainly responsible for the anti-hyperalgesic properties of the extract.