Studies on the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of Curatella americana L

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology 1999-11, Vol.67 (2), p.171-177
• Main Authors: Alexandre-Moreira, M.S, Piuvezam, M.R, Araújo, C.C, Thomas, G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetic Acid - antagonists & inhibitors; Acetic Acid - toxicity; Analgesic; Analgesics; Animals; Anti-inflammatory; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - therapeutic use; Arthritis - chemically induced; Arthritis - drug therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Brazil; cajueiro-bravo; Capsaicin - antagonists & inhibitors; Capsaicin - toxicity; Carcinogens - antagonists & inhibitors; Carcinogens - toxicity; Curatella americana; Dilleniaceae; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Edema - chemically induced; Edema - prevention & control; General pharmacology; Indicators and Reagents - toxicity; Lethal Dose 50; Male; Medical sciences; medicinal properties; Medicine, Traditional; Mice; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Rats; Rats, Wistar; sambaiba; Stereotyped Behavior - drug effects; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate - antagonists & inhibitors; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate - toxicity; traditional medicine
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-8741(99)00009-4

Curatella americana L. (Dilleneaceae) popularly known as ‘cajueiro-bravo’ and ‘sambaı́ba’ is used in Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of inflammation and ulcer. The anti-inflammatory and analgesic tests were conducted with the hydroalcoholic extract (HAE) of the bark of the plant. The HAE inhibited mouse ear oedema induced by o-tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate (TPA) and by capsaicin. While the ID 50 values obtained for the HAE against these two irritants were 40.8±1.7 and 30±1.2 mg/kg i.p. (mean±S.E.M., n=6), respectively, the corresponding value for carrageenan induced paw oedema (3 h) was 21.8±2.1 mg/kg, i.p., n=6. In the established adjuvant-induced arthritis model, the HAE significantly inhibited the oedema in daily doses of 50 mg/kg, i.p. ( n=10). The HAE also inhibited acetic acid-induced writhing (ID 50 23.2±0.8 mg/kg, i.p., n=6) and the formalin-induced late phase paw licking response (ID 50 11.9±1.2 mg/kg, i.p., n=10) in the mice. However, the HAE was inactive in the formalin-induced initial paw licking response in mice or heat induced tail flick response in rats. The HAE has shown both anti-inflammatory and peripheral analgesic activities when administrated in the mouse by the intraperitoneal route in doses which are at least 12 times lower than its LD 50 dose of 647 mg/kg, i.p.