Abstract
All the reports to date on the anti-inflammatory activity of chitooligosaccharides (COS) are mostly based on in vitro methods. In this work, the anti-inflammatory activity of two COS mixtures is characterized in vivo (using balb/c mice), following the carrageenan-induced paw edema method. This is a widely accepted animal model of acute inflammation to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of drugs. Our data suggest that COS possess anti-inflammatory activity, which is dependent on dose and, at higher doses, also on the molecular weight. A single dose of 500 mg/kg b.w. weight may be suitable to treat acute inflammation cases; however, further studies are needed to ascertain the effect upon longer inflammation periods as well as studies upon the bioavailability of these compounds.
Highlights
Chitooligosaccharides (COS) are partially hydrolyzed products of chitosan, a biopolymer composed of β-(1-4)-linked N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and deacetylated glucosamine units [1]
Edema induced by phlogistic agents is a widely accepted model for the evaluation of anti-inflammatory effect of drugs [7]
Carrageenan-induced paw edema is a classical model of acute inflammation involving various types of chemical mediators of inflammation such as histamine, serotonin, bradykinin and prostaglandins, in which the involvement of the cyclooxygenase products of arachidonic acid metabolism and the production of reactive oxygen species are well established [8]
Summary
Chitooligosaccharides (COS) are partially hydrolyzed products of chitosan, a biopolymer composed of β-(1-4)-linked N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and deacetylated glucosamine units [1]. Several authors have reported the potential of COS as a therapeutic agent against inflammation. These studies were mainly based on in vitro tests [2,3,4]. It has been suggested that this anti-inflammatory action of COS occurs via down-regulation of transcriptional and translational expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6, iNOS and COX-2 [4,5,6]; it depends on the molecular weight of COS [6] This preliminary study, intends to investigate the anti-inflammatory activities of COS mixtures with different molecular weights, by studying its effects in vivo upon inflammation induced by carrageenan
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