Anti-inflammatory activity of the steroid alkaloid glycoside, toatine.

1. Tomatine, isolated from extracts of crown gall-infected tomato plants or obtained commercially, was tested for anti-inflammatory activity using three different methods.2. Tomatine administered to intact rats intramuscularly in a dose range of 1-10 mg/kg or orally in doses of 15-30 mg/kg exerted a significant dose dependent inhibition of carrageenan induced paw oedema. The inhibitory effect of tomatine when given in a dose of 10 mg/kg intramuscularly to intact rats lasted more than 24 hr.3. In adrenalectomized rats significant dose-related inhibition of paw oedema was obtained with tomatine and the inhibition at each dose level (0.5-10 mg/kg) was found to be greater than that found in intact animals.4. Tomatine administered subcutaneously to intact rats daily for 7 days in doses of 5 or 10 mg/kg exerted a significant, dose dependent inhibition of granulation tissue formation induced by the subcutaneous implantation of carrageenan impregnated cotton pellets.5. Tomatine administered to intact mice in a dose of 10 mg/kg subcutaneously 1 hr before the intraperitoneal injection of acidified saline and intravenous pontamine sky blue significantly decreased the leakage of the protein bound dye into the peritoneal cavity.6. Tomatidine, the aglycone of tomatine, was not effective at dose levels of 10-20 mg/kg in any of the three tests.