• Raul Sousa Freitas, Danielle Rocha do Val, Maria Ester Frota Fernandes, Francisco Isaac Fernandes Gomes, José Thalles Jocelino Gomes de Lacerda, Tatiane SantiGadelha, Carlos Alberto de Almeida Gadelha, Vicente de Paulo Teixeira Pinto, Gerardo Cristino-Filho, Karuza Maria Alves Pereira, Gerly Anne de Castro Brito, Mirna Marques Bezerra, and Hellíada Vasconcelos Chaves.
• Master in Biotechnology, Federal University of Ceará, Avenida Comandante Maurocélio Rocha Pontes, 100 Derby, CEP: 62.042-280 Sobral, Ceará, Brazil. Electronic address: raul.sf2@gmail.com.
• Int. Immunopharmacol. 2016 Sep 1; 38: 313-23.

AbstractTemporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders show inflammatory components, heavily impacting on quality of life. Abelmoschus esculentus is largely cultivated in Northeastern Brazil for medicinal purposes, having it shown anti-inflammatory activity. We evaluated A. esculentus lectin (AEL) efficacy in reducing zymosan-induced temporomandibular joint inflammatory hypernociception in rats along with the mechanism of action through which it exerts anti-inflammatory activity. Animals were pre-treated with AEL (0.01, 0.1 or 1mg/kg) before zymosan (Zy) injection in the TMJ to determine anti-inflammatory activity. To analyse the possible effect of the hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) and the nitric oxide (NO) pathways on AEL efficacy, animals were pre-treated with ZnPP-IX (3mg/kg), a specific HO-1 inhibitor, or aminoguanidine (30mg/kg), a selective iNOS inhibitor, before AEL administration. Von Frey test evaluated inflammatory hypernociception, synovial fluid collection was performed to determine leukocyte counting and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity 6h after Zy injection, and Evans Blue extravasation determined vascular permeability. TMJ tissue was collected for histopathological analysis (H&E) and immunohistochemistry (TNF-α, IL-1β, HO-1). In addition, TMJ tissue and trigeminal ganglion collection was performed for TNF-α and IL-1β dosage (ELISA). AEL increased inflammatory nociceptive threshold, reduced leukocyte influx along with MPO activity, leukocyte influx into the synovial membrane, and Evans Blue extravasation. It promoted HO-1 overexpression whilst decreased TNF-α and IL-1β expression in the TMJ tissue. AEL reduced TNF-α and IL-1β levels in TMJ tissue and trigeminal ganglion. AEL effects, however, were not observed in the presence of ZnPP-IX. These findings suggest that AEL efficacy depends on TNF-α/IL-1β inhibition and HO-1 pathway integrity.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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