Silva Jeane, Abebe Worku, Sousa S M, Duarte V G, Machado M I L, Matos F J A
Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2003 Dec;89(2-3):277-83. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2003.09.007.
Many species of the genus Eucalyptus from the Myrtaceae family are used in Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of various medical conditions such as cold, flue, fever, and bronchial infections. In the current investigation, we evaluated the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of essential oil extracts from three species of Eucalyptus employing various standard experimental test models. Using acetic acid-induced writhes in mice and hot plate thermal stimulation in rats, it was shown that the essential oils of Eucalyptus citriodora (EC), Eucalyptus tereticornis (ET), and Eucalyptus globulus (EG) induced analgesic effects in both models, suggesting peripheral and central actions. In addition, essential oil extracts from the three Eucalyptus species produced anti-inflammatory effects, as demonstrated by inhibition of rat paw edema induced by carrageenan and dextran, neutrophil migration into rat peritoneal cavities induced by carrageenan, and vascular permeability induced by carrageenan and histamine. However, no consistent results were observed for some of the parameters evaluated, both in terms of activities and dose-response relationships, reflecting the complex nature of the oil extracts and/or the assay systems used. Taken together, the data suggest that essential oil extracts of EC, ET, and EG possess central and peripheral analgesic effects as well as neutrophil-dependent and independent anti-inflammatory activities. These initial observations provide support for the reported use of the eucalyptus plant in Brazilian folk medicine. Further investigation is warranted for possible development of new classes of analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs from components of the essential oils of the Eucalyptus species.
桃金娘科桉属的许多物种在巴西民间医学中用于治疗各种病症，如感冒、流感、发烧和支气管感染。在当前的研究中，我们采用各种标准实验测试模型评估了三种桉属植物精油提取物的镇痛和抗炎作用。通过醋酸诱导小鼠扭体和热板热刺激大鼠的实验表明，柠檬桉（EC）、窿缘桉（ET）和蓝桉（EG）的精油在两种模型中均具有镇痛作用，提示其具有外周和中枢作用。此外，这三种桉属植物的精油提取物还具有抗炎作用，如抑制角叉菜胶和右旋糖酐诱导的大鼠足爪水肿、角叉菜胶诱导的中性粒细胞向大鼠腹腔的迁移以及角叉菜胶和组胺诱导的血管通透性。然而，在所评估的一些参数方面，无论是活性还是剂量反应关系，均未观察到一致的结果，这反映了油提取物和/或所使用的检测系统的复杂性。综上所述，数据表明EC、ET和EG的精油提取物具有中枢和外周镇痛作用以及中性粒细胞依赖性和非依赖性抗炎活性。这些初步观察结果为桉属植物在巴西民间医学中的应用提供了支持。有必要进一步研究从桉属植物精油成分中开发新型镇痛和抗炎药物的可能性。
