Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5838874 | Journal of Ethnopharmacology | 2012 | 11 Pages |
Ethnopharmacological relevanceCaesalpinia pyramidalis Tul. (Fabaceae) is a plant found in the Northeast of Brazil that is popularly used to treat inflammation. Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory disease for which abdominal pain is a relevant symptom. As there is no specific therapy for AP, we investigated the effect of the ethanol extract from the inner bark of C. pyramidalis (EECp) on the AP induced by common bile duct obstruction (CBDO) in rats.Material and methodsAP was induced in male Wistar rats (200-250g, n=6-8) through laparotomy and subsequent CBDO. Animals were euthanized after 6 (G6h) or 24Â h (G24h) of induction. In the G6h protocol, animals were pretreated with EECp (100-400Â mg/kg, p.o.) or vehicle (Tween 80; 0.2%) 1Â h before CBDO or sham surgery. For the G24h protocol, rats were pretreated with EECp (400Â mg/kg, 1Â h before CBDO or 1Â h before and 12Â h after CBDO) or vehicle. The following parameters were measured: inflammatory/oxidative (myeloperoxidase activity and malondialdehyde formation in the pancreas and lung, leukocyte counts in the blood and serum nitrate/nitrite), enzymatic (serum amylase and lipase levels) and nociceptive (abdominal hyperalgesia).ResultsInduction of AP by CBDO significantly increased all the parameters evaluated in both G6h and G24h protocols when compared with the respective sham group. In the G6h protocol, the EECp pretreatment (400Â mg/kg) significantly reduced all these parameters, besides completely inhibiting abdominal hyperalgesia. The same profile of reduction was observed from two administrations of EECp in the G24h protocol, while one single dose of EECp was able to significantly reduce pancreatic MDA, serum lipase levels, leukocyte counts in the blood and abdominal hyperalgesia without affecting the other parameters in the G24h protocol. Furthermore, rutin was found in the EECp.ConclusionsOur results demonstrated that EECp decreases inflammation, lipoperoxidation and hyperalgesia in CBDO-induced AP, making it of interest in future approaches to treat this condition.
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