Gelam Honey Inhibits the Production of Proinflammatory, Mediators NO, PGE(2), TNF-α, and IL-6 in Carrageenan-Induced Acute Paw Edema in Rats.

Saba Zuhair Hussein,Kamaruddin Mohd Yusoff,Yasmin Anum Mohd Yusof,Suzana Makpol

doi:10.1155/2012/109636

Abstract

Natural honey is well known for its therapeutic value and has been used in traditional medicine of different cultures throughout the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of Malaysian Gelam honey in inflammation-induced rats. Paw edema was induced by a subplantar injection of 1% carrageenan into the rat right hind paw. Rats were treated with the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Indomethacin (10 mg/kg, p.o.) or Gelam honey at different doses (1 or 2 g/kg, p.o.). The increase in footpad thickness was considered to be edema, which was measured using a dial caliper. Plasma and paw tissue were collected to analyze the production of inflammatory mediators, such as NO, PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-6, as well as iNOS and COX-2. The results showed that Gelam honey could reduce edema in a dose-dependent fashion in inflamed rat paws, decrease the production of NO, PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-6 in plasma, and suppress the expression of iNOS, COX-2, TNF-α, and IL-6 in paw tissue. Oral pretreatment of Gelam honey at 2 g/kg of body weight at two time points (1 and 7 days) showed a significantly decreased production of proinflammatory cytokines, which was similar to the effect of the anti-inflammatory drug Indomethacin (NSAID), both in plasma and tissue. Thus, our results suggest that Gelam honey has anti-inflammatory effects by reducing the rat paw edema size and inhibiting the production of proinflammatory mediators. Gelam honey is potentially useful for treating inflammatory conditions.

Highlights

Inflammation is a complex biological response of the body to cell damage and vascularized tissue, which can be classified as either acute or chronic depending on the time of onset [1]
Gelam honey at 2 g/kg of body weight for 1 day decreased the paw size significantly in 2 hr, while the same dose of honey treated for 7 days significantly decreased the paw size at 1 hr after the carrageenan injection compared with the control
At 1 hr after the carrageenan injection, Gelam honey treated for 7 days at 1 or 2 g/kg of body weight resulted in a greater inhibition of the edema (54.23% and 59.86%, resp.) when compared with a 1-day treatment (26.58 and 29.11%, resp.)

Summary

Introduction

Inflammation is a complex biological response of the body to cell damage and vascularized tissue, which can be classified as either acute or chronic depending on the time of onset [1]. Several proinflammatory mediators are released, including interleukin 1 (IL-1), IL-6, IL-12, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and interferon (INF-γ) as well as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) [4]. These cytokines play major roles in the initiation and amplification of inflammatory processes [5]. It can be pathogenic when it is produced excessively [6]

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