Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of the sesquiterpene lactone budlein A in mice: Inhibition of cytokine production-dependent mechanism

The anti-inflammatory activities of some medicinal plants are attributed to their contents of sesquiterpene lactones. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activity of a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from Viguiera robusta, budlein A in mice was investigated. The treatment with budlein A dose—(1.0–10.0 mg/kg, p.o., respectively) dependently inhibited the carrageenan-induced: i. neutrophil migration to the peritoneal cavity (2–52%), ii. neutrophil migration to the paw skin tissue (32–74%), iii. paw oedema (13–74%) and iv. mechanical hypernociception (2–58%) as well as the acetic acid-induced writhings (0–66%). Additionally, budlein A (10.0 mg/kg) treatment inhibited the mechanical hypernociception-induced by tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α, 36%), Keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC, 37%) and Interleukin-1β (IL-1β, 28%), but not of prostaglandin E2 or dopamine. Budlein A also inhibited the carrageenan-induced release of TNF-α (52%), KC (70%) and IL-1β (59%). Furthermore, an 8 days treatment with budlein A inhibited Complete Freund's adjuvant (10 μl/paw)-induced hypernociception, paw oedema and paw skin myeloperoxidase activity increase while not affecting the motor performance or myeloperoxidase activity in the stomach. Concluding, the present data suggest that budlein A presents anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive property in mice by a mechanism dependent on inhibition of cytokines production. It supports the potential beneficial effect of orally administered budlein A in inflammatory diseases involving cytokine-mediated nociception, oedema and neutrophil migration.