Fitoterapia. 2003 Jun; 74(4): 364-71.

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of Bouchea fluminensis.

Costa VB, Coube CS, Marinho BG, Matheus ME, LeitÃ£o SG, Fernandes PD.

Departamento de Farmacologia, ICB, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Dried leaves extract from Bouchea fluminensis was assessed in anti-inflammatory (mouse paw edema) and analgesic models (acetic acid-induced writhings and hot plate). Oral pretreatment of animals with a crude mixture (IG) and a purified mixture of ursolic, oleanolic and micromeric acids (IG-59) at doses ranging from 1 to 30 mg/kg, significantly inhibited carrageenin-induced edema formation. At the same doses, IG and IG-59 also exhibited peripheral and central analgesic activity. It seems that B. fluminensis triterpenes develop their analgesic effect through central opioid receptors, due to the observation that naloxone reverted analgesic activity on the hot plate model.