ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF EXTRACT OF MORUS NIGRA

Resumo

Introduction: Morus nigra is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae and the genus Morus. M. nigra is one of the species of mulberry plant and its fruit have a dark aspect and that is why it is also known as “black mulberry”. Its extract is popularly used for the treatment of diabetes, cholesterol in high levels, cardiovascular problems, obesity and gout. Objective: Thus, in this study we evaluated the anti-inflammatory potential of the M. nigra extract (MNE) in mice. Material and Methods: The animals were divided into four experimental groups (n = 6) and treated with vehicle (0.9% saline solution), MNE (100 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg) and dexamethasone (1 mg/kg, s.c.). The anti-inflammatory activity of MNE was evaluated using four models, including test of pleurisy, paw edema, mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia induced by carrageenan. Results: The anti-inflammatory effect of MNE at doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg were evidenced after 4 hours of intrapleural injection of carrageenan, because of the significant reduction of leukocyte migration in the pleurisy model. In the second and fourth hours after the intraplantar carrageenan injection, the 100 mg/kg dose significantly reduced paw edema, however at three and four hours after the intraplantar carrageenan administration in the tests of mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia, there was no significant difference when compared to the control group. Discussion and Conclusion: The results presented in this work demonstrate a potential anti-inflammatory effect of the extract obtained from M. nigra. However, further studies should be performed on other inflammatory models. Acknowlegment: CNPq, FUNDECT, UFGD and CAPES. References: