The marine plant thalassia testudinum possesses anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties

Abstract

The natural marine compounds represent a source of new chemical structures and of pharmacological substances with anti-inflammatory activity that will allow to deep in the knowledge of the inflammatory process and in novel mechanisms of action of therapeutic agents. In this work we carry out the study of a extract of a marine plant present in the Cuban coast, Thalassia testudinum (Tt) with the objective of detecting anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects by carrageenan paw oedema, croton oil mouse ear oedema, phospholipase A2 (PLA2) inhibition, cyclo-oxygenase (COX) inhibition and writhing tests. Three fractions, obtained from this extract, were also evaluated in the assay of croton oilinduced ear oedema, PLA2 inhibition, COX inhibition and writhing test. The extract obtained from the Tt plant demonstrated an inhibitory effect in the carrageenan paw oedema. Also, demonstrated inhibitory effect over PLA2 and COX enzyme. Chloroform and butanolic fractions also inhibited mouse ear oedema assay, and COX enzyme, but only the chloroform fraction inhibited the PLA2 enzyme. The extract, butanolic and aqueous fractions inhibited writhing test. We can conclude that the extract, chloroform and butanol fractions shows antiinflammatory properties and the extract and two of the fractions show analgesic effect.