Carrageenan is a collective term for polysaccharides prepared by alkaline extraction from red seaweed (Rhodophycae). Different carrageenans are widely used as food and medicinal ingredients and applied in chemical and biochemical researches. The studies in recent years showed that long-term administration of carrageenan in various animals can cause intestine mucous membrane damage or ulcerous colonitis, and produce or promote tumor growth. It is necessary to perform more epidemiological and essential studies to evaluate the safety of Carrageenan.
Animals ; Carrageenan ; administration & dosage ; toxicity ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Plant Extracts ; administration & dosage ; toxicity ; Seaweed ; chemistry

BACKGROUND: Eicosanoids are metabolites of arachidonic acid that are rapidly biosynthesized and degraded during inflammation, and their metabolic changes reveal altered enzyme expression following drug treatment. We developed an eicosanoid profiling method and evaluated their changes on drug treatment. METHODS: Simultaneous quantitative profiling of 32 eicosanoids in liver S9 fractions obtained from rabbits with carrageenan-induced inflammation was performed and validated by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled to anion-exchange solid-phase purification. RESULTS: The limit of quantification for the devised method ranged from 0.5 to 20.0 ng/mg protein, and calibration linearity was achieved (R 2>0.99). The precision (% CV) and accuracy (% bias) ranged from 4.7 to 10.3% and 88.4 to 110.9%, respectively, and overall recoveries ranged from 58.0 to 105.3%. Our method was then applied and showed that epitestosterone treatment reduced the levels of all eicosanoids that were generated by cyclooxygenases and lipoxygenases. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative eicosanoid profiling combined with in vitro metabolic assays may be useful for evaluating metabolic changes affected by drugs during eicosanoid metabolism.
Animals ; Carrageenan/toxicity ; *Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/standards ; Cytokines/blood ; Disease Models, Animal ; Eicosanoids/*analysis/metabolism/standards ; Inflammation/etiology/metabolism ; Male ; Rabbits ; Reference Standards ; Solid Phase Extraction ; *Tandem Mass Spectrometry/standards

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of leaf extract of Melanthera scandens (M. scandens).

METHODSThe crude leaf extract (39-111 mg/kg) of M. scandens was investigated for anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities using various experimental models. The anti-inflammatory activity was investigated using carragenin, egg-albumin induced oedema models, while acetic acid, formalin-induced paw licking and thermal-induced pain models were used to evaluate the antinociceptive property.

RESULTSThe extract caused a significant (P<0.05 - 0.001) dose-dependent reduction of inflammation and pains induced by different agents used.

CONCLUSIONSThe leaf extract possesses anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects which may be mediated through the phytochemical constituents of the plant.

Acetic Acid ; toxicity ; Albumins ; adverse effects ; Analgesics ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; therapeutic use ; Asteraceae ; metabolism ; Carrageenan ; toxicity ; Edema ; drug therapy ; Formaldehyde ; toxicity ; Inflammation ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Mice ; Pain ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Phytochemicals ; therapeutic use ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Extracts ; therapeutic use ; Plant Leaves ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDYupingfeng, a traditional Chinese complex prescription, has been used efficaciously in China for the cure and prevention of inflammatory diseases related to immunodeficiency such as allergic rhinitis and chronic bronchitis. However, the active components of this prescription remain unclear. The present study focused on investigating the antiinflammatory and immunoregulatory effects of the glucosidic extract from Yupingfeng.

METHODSWe tested animal models for ear swelling induced by dimethylbenzene in mice; palm swelling induced by carregeenin and granuloma induced by cotton pellet in rats; level of haemolysin, antibody generation by the splenic cells, delayed hypersensitivity and T cell subsets in spleen of immunosuppressed mice.

RESULTSGlucosidic extract of 24 mg/kg, 48 mg/kg and 96 mg/kg significantly inhibited mice's ear swelling induced by dimethylbenzene. Similarly glucosidic extract of 16 mg/kg, 32 mg/kg and 64 mg/kg inhibited rats' palm swelling induced by carregeenin and granuloma induced by cotton pellet. Glucosidic extract of 24 mg/kg, 48 mg/kg and 96 mg/kg improved the IgM level in serum and level of haemolysin in splenocytes in mice immunosuppressed by cyclophosphamide. Delayed hypersensitivity in mice suppressed by cyclophosphamide was enhanced by glucosidic extract of 24 mg/kg, 48 mg/kg and 96 mg/kg. These results suggested that Yupingfeng could recover humoral and cellular immune function in mice with immunosuppression. Glucosidic extract of 48 mg/kg and 96 mg/kg significantly resisted the immunosuppressive mice ear swelling and maintained it at nearly normal level. The enhanced, delayed hypersensitivity actions of glucosidic extract, suppressed by cyclophosphamide, might be brought about by inducing TH cell and regulating T lymphocytes subset.

CONCLUSIONSThe glucosidic extract from Yupingfeng has antiinflammatory and immunoregulation action, suggesting that these glucosides are the principal active components of the traditional Chinese prescription Yupingfeng.

Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; therapeutic use ; Carrageenan ; toxicity ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Glucosides ; therapeutic use ; Granuloma ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Guinea Pigs ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Otitis ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Xylenes ; toxicity

PURPOSE: We investigated what kinds of neurotransmitters are related with electroacupuncture (EA) analgesia in an arthritic pain model of rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred rats were assigned to six groups: control, EA, opioid, adrenergic, serotonin and dopamine group. A standardized model of inflammatory arthritis was produced by injecting 2% carrageenan into the knee joint cavity. EA was applied to an acupoint for 30 min in all groups except fo the control group. In the opioid, adrenergic, serotonin and dopamine groups, each receptor antagonist was injected intraperitoneally to their respective group before initiating EA. RESULTS: In the opioid receptor antagonist group, adrenergic receptor antagonist group, serotonin receptor antagonist group, dopamine receptor antagonist group and the control group weight-bearing force decreased significantly from 30 min to 180 min after EA in comparison with the EA group. CONCLUSION: The analgesic effects of EA are related to opioid, adrenergic, serotonin and dopamine receptors in an arthritic pain model of rats.
Acupuncture Analgesia/*methods ; Adrenergic Antagonists/therapeutic use ; Animals ; Arthritis/chemically induced/drug therapy/physiopathology/*therapy ; Carrageenan/toxicity ; Dopamine Antagonists/therapeutic use ; Electroacupuncture/*methods ; Male ; Neurotransmitter Agents/*metabolism ; Pain/drug therapy/metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Adrenergic/metabolism ; Receptors, Dopamine/metabolism ; Receptors, Opioid/antagonists & inhibitors/metabolism ; Receptors, Serotonin/metabolism ; Serotonin Antagonists/therapeutic use