Chemopreventive action of Phyllanthus urinaria Linn on DMBA-induced skin carcinogenesis in mice.

The inhibition of tumor incidence by hydro-alcoholic extract of the whole plant of P. urinaria was evaluated in 6-7 weeks old female albino mice on two-stage process of skin carcinogenesis induced by a single application of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (50 microg/50 microl of acetone), and 2 weeks later, promoted by repeated application of croton oil (1% in acetone/three times a week) till the end of the experiment (15 weeks). Topical application of the extract at a dose of 5 mg/kg body weight/day for 15 weeks at the peri-initiational stage (i.e., 7 days before and 7 days after DMBA application), promotional stage (i.e., from the time of croton oil application) and both peri and post-initiational stages (i.e., 7 days prior to DMBA application and continued till the end of the experiment) on the shaven backs of the mice recorded a significant reduction in tumor incidence to 50, 33.3 and 16.7% respectively in comparison to the control (i.e., the mice treated with DMBA and croton oil only) where tumor incidence was found to be 81.8%. The average number of papillomas per mouse was also significantly reduced. The results suggest a possible chemopreventive property of P. urinaria against DMBA-induced skin papillomagenesis in mice.

Antinociceptive effects of the essential oil of Croton zehntneri in mice

Croton zehntneri is an aromatic plant native to Northeastern Brazil, where it is often used in folk medicine. In the present study the antinociceptive effects of the essential oil of Croton zehntneri (EOCz) were evaluated in mice. EOCz administered orally at doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg reduced paw licking time in the second phase of the formalin test from the control value of 41.61 + or - 8.62 to 12.01 + or - 7.97 and 6.57 + or - 3.42 s, respectively. During the first phase of the formalin test only 300 mg/kg induced a significant alteration (from 58.2 + or - 7.02, control, to 28.7 + or - 4.73 s). The number of contortions in response to intraperitoneal injections of acetic acid did not differ significantly between controls (80.6 + or - 9.01) and experimental (300 mg/kg body weight) animals (89.1 + or - 9.53 percent of the control numbers; P > or = 0.05, Student t-test). In the hot-plate test, EOCz at doses > or = 100 mg/kg significantly increased the latency time with respect to controls (11.2 + or - 0.80). At 100 and 300 mg/kg this increase persisted for 180 and 240 min, respectively. The data show that EOCz is effective as an antinociceptive agent

Atividade antiinflamatória, toxicidade e fitoquímica do óleo-resina de copaíba, proveniente de diferentes espécies, e de suas respectivas frações / Anti-inflammatory activity, toxicity and phytochemistry of copaiba oil-resin, originating from different species, and their respective fractions

Espécies do gênero Copaifera (Leguminosae) são nativas de regiões tropicais da América Latina e África. No Brasil, seu óleo-resina é amplamente utilizado em medicina popular como antiinflamatório, antisséptico e cicatrizante. No presente trabalho, avaliou-se, em uma primeira fase, a atividade antiinflamatória em modelo experimental agudo das seguintes amostras de óleo-resina: comercial, gentilmente cedida pela empresa Pronatus, Copaifera reticulata, C. multijuga e C. paupera. As amostras foram administradas pela via oral, sendo selecionada, das amostras identificadas botanicamente, a C. reticulata por apresentarem maior atividade. A amostra comercial também foi ensaiada no modelo experimental acima...

Carcinogênese química cutânea e subcutânea em gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) / Chemical cutaneous and subcutaneous carcinogenesis in gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)

O comportamento do gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) como modelo em oncologia experimental é estudado. Aplicaçöes tópicas de 3-metilcolantreno (MC), sobre a pele do dorso, induziram pailomas, carcinomas epidermoides, carcinomas basocelulares e lesöes hiperpigmentadas semelhantes ao nevus azul. Ao contr rio, somente lesöes pigmentadas foram observadas nos animais tratados com MC (iniciaçäo) associado ao óleo de croton (promoçäo). Além disoo, fibrossarcomas e um linfoma foram induzidos com injeçöes subcutâneas de MC.