Effects of escin on acute inflammation and the immune system in mice.
Journal Title: Pharmacological Reports - Year 2009, Vol 61, Issue 4
Abstract
Escin has been used extensively to treat chronic venous insufficiency, hemorrhoids, and edema resulting from cerebral ischemic damage, trauma or operation. However, no studies have looked at the anti-inflammatory properties of escin administered by intravenous injection, and it is still not clear whether escin has an effect on the immune system. This study seeks to investigate the time-dependent anti-inflammatory properties of escin and its effect on the immune system. The anti-inflammatory effect of escin was observed in carrageenan-induced paw edema and acetic acid-induced capillary permeability in mice. The immunopharmacological effects of escin were evaluated by spleen index (SI), thymus index (TI), proliferative capacity of splenocytes (PS), lymphocyte count (LC), serum TNF-alpha levels, and phagocytic rate (PR) in mice. Escin treatment showed a significant anti-inflammatory effect, similar to that seen with dexamethasone treatment. However, the duration of the anti-inflammatory response was longer with escin treatment than with dexamethasone treatment. The results also demonstrated that escin had no significant effects on SI, TI, LC, PS, TNF-alpha levels, and PR. The findings suggest that escin is a potent anti-inflammatory drug with long-lasting anti-inflammatory effects and without any immunosuppressive effects.
Authors and Affiliations
Tian Wang, Fenghua Fu, Leiming Zhang, Bin Han, Mei Zhu, Xiumei Zhang
Keywords
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