Pharmacological evaluation of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the aqueous extract from the Mediterranean sponge, Petrosia ficiformis

Mehdi Dridi, Emna Kerkeni, Lamia Mhadhebi, Farhat Farhat, Abderrahman Bouraoui
Unité URSAM,Lab. de Pharmacologie Faculté de Pharmacie, Monastir, Tunisia

As part of our search for anti-inflammatory substances from marine sponges, the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the aqueous extract from the mediterranean sponge, Petrosia ficiformis were investigated in animal models using the carrageenan-induced paw oedema assay (Winter et al, 1962) in male albinos wistar rats (150-170 g) and acetic acid writhing test in mice (Koster et al, 1959). The aqueous extract (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) administered intraperitoneally, and in comparison to reference drugs: dexamethasone (1 mg/kg) and acetylsalicylic acid (300 mg/kg), exhibited, in a dose dependent manner, a significant inhibitory effect on the rats paw oedema (p<0.001). The % inhibition of oedema, 3h after 0.05 ml of 1% carrageenan injection were higher than 50% and ranged from 51% to 64%. In addition, this aqueous extract (200 mg/kg), S/C administered in mice and in comparaison to a reference drug : acetylsalicylic acid (200 mg/kg), significantly reduced the nociception induced by the 1% acetic acid intraperitoneal injection (p<0.01). The % inhibition of writhing, 30 min after acetic acid injection was 53 %. The pharmacological activities of this active extract are discussed in accordance with the secondary metabolites present in the sponge of the genus Petrosia (Giner, 1999; Shin et al, 1998; Lim et al, 1999). Purification and determination of chemical structures of compound(s) in this extract are under investigation.

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