Inhibition of Erythema and Local Hyperthermia

Abstract

Each of the four cardinal signs of inflammation (rubor, calor, tumor, dolor), as recorded by Celsus in the first century A.D., has been used by pharmacologists to establish methods for the detection and definition of anti-inflammatory substances (Swingle, 1974). The inhibition of an induced oedema, usually in the paw of the rat, has been the preferred method (Whitehouse, 1965; Winter, 1966; Swingle, 1974). Inhibition of the appearance of erythema in guinea pigs after exposure of depilated skin to ultraviolet (UV) ligth (Wilhelmi, 1949, 1950; Winder et al., 1958) has also been a popular method, particularly for the detection of drugs which may properly be classified as anti-inflammatory/analgesic/antipyretic. Procedures utilizing the human for assessment of antierythemic activity of substances include the erythema induced by UV irradiation and that induced by topical application of tetrahydrofurfuryl nicotinate (THFN) (Truelove and Dthieu, 1959; Adams and Cobb, 1963). The development and availability of thermometers capable of recording skin temperature accurately and rapidly have led to the use of this parameter by some investigators to evaluate inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects.