leukotriene-b4 and ethyl-acetate

Aristolochia tagala Cham. (syn: Aristolochia acuminata Lam.) (Aristolochiaceae), known as Nallayishwari in Telugu, has been of interest to researchers because of its traditional uses for treating rheumatic pains and fever.. The anti-inflammatory activity of the petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and ethanol extracts of A. tagala roots were investigated for the first time.. In vivo and in vitro anti-inflammatory effects were investigated employing the carrageenan-induced hind paw edema in rats and the macrophage cell line RAW264.7 stimulated with proinflammatory stimuli (lipopolysaccharide interferon γ or the calcium ionophore A23187) to determine PGE(2) or LTB(4) release, respectively.. All the extracts exhibited anti-inflammatory effects which were found to be significant (p < 0.001) at 200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o, in rats tested and the ethyl acetate extract inhibited the induction of PGE(2) with IC(50) = 39.1 mg mL(-1) and LTB(4) with IC(50) = 29.5 mg mL(-1).. These findings demonstrate that the A. tagala roots have excellent anti-inflammatory activity and validate the traditional indications of this plant in its origin country.

Topics: Acetates; Alkanes; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Aristolochia; Calcimycin; Calcium Ionophores; Carrageenan; Cell Line; Dinoprostone; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Ethanol; Female; Inflammation; Interferon-gamma; Leukotriene B4; Macrophages; Male; Mice; Plant Extracts; Plant Roots; Plants, Medicinal; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Time Factors

Histamine and serotonin are important inflammatory mediators in the pathophysiology of asthma, and asthmatic patients have higher plasma histamine and serotonin levels than non-asthmatic control subjects. Alveolar macrophages (AMs) synthesize and secrete a large number of substances that play a key role in acute and chronic inflammation including asthma. We postulated that AMs might release chemotactic activity for neutrophils and monocytes in response to histamine or serotonin. To test this hypothesis, bovine AMs were cultured, and the supernatant fluids were evaluated for neutrophil chemotactic activity (NCA) and monocyte chemotactic activity (MCA) by a blind well chamber technique. AMs released chemotactic activity in response to histamine and serotonin in a dose- and time-dependent manner (P <.05). Partial characterization and molecular sieve column chromatography revealed that low-molecular-weight lipid-soluble activity was predominant. Lipoxygenase inhibitors significantly blocked the release of chemotactic activity. Leukotriene B(4) receptor antagonists blocked the chemotactic activity. Immunoreactive leukotriene B(4) significantly increased in supernatant fluids in response to histamine and serotonin. The receptor responsible for the release of chemotactic activity in response to histamine was the H2 receptor. These data demonstrate that AMs release NCA and MCA in response to histamine or serotonin (or both) and may modulate the inflammatory cell recruitment into the lung.

Topics: Acetates; Animals; Benzoquinones; Cattle; Cells, Cultured; Chemotactic Factors; Chromatography, Gel; Diethylcarbamazine; Histamine; Hot Temperature; Leukotriene B4; Macrophages, Alveolar; Masoprocol; Monocytes; Neutrophils; Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins; Receptors, Cell Surface; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; Serotonin; Trypsin