Efeito anti-inflamatório do extrato metanólico de Caulerpa mexicana em modelo murino de inflamação generalizada induzida por zimosan

Abstract

The immune system is responsible for defending the body against aggressive factors. Inflammation is an important event in the immune response and the exacerbation of this response in systemic levels can trigger a clinical syndrome described as Multiple Organ Dysfunction (MODS), with high mortality rates and still no fully effective treatment strategy. In addition, researches on the anti-inflammatory activity of various substances try to find new compounds with pharmacological potential which can be used as an alternative treatment. Several researches have demonstrated the bioactivity of many substances found in plants and herbs. Previous studies from our laboratory with methanolic extract of the green seaweed Caulerpa mexicana showed its high anti-inflammatory potential. The present study aims to understand more about this anti-inflammatory potential of C. mexicana in a murine model of zymosan induced generalized inflammation (ZIGI). Zymosan is a substance derived from cell wall of fungus Saccharomyces cerevisae, effective in inducing inflammatory mediators, and widely used in animal models for the study. The use of the extract of C. mexicana in the treatment of animals subjected to ZIGI model resulted in significant improvements in clinical symptoms, in the profile of cell migration to the site of injury, in the systemic and local levels of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) and in the macromorphology of the intestine and micromorphology of the liver, internal organs that are affected by systemic inflammation condition. This study confirms the anti-inflammatory potential of methanolic extrac of C. mexicana described in previous studies, and present new data about its effects in a generalized inflammation model induced by zymosan, which mimics the MODS in humans, bringing to light of science new evidence of this immunopharmacological activity.