British journal of pharmacology
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1. Paeonol was tested for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects in a rat model of carrageenan-evoked thermal hyperalgesia. The possible mechanisms involved in these effects were also investigated. 2. ⋯ Elevated myeloperoxidase activity, an indicator of neutrophil infiltration, in carrageenan-injected paws was also dose-dependently reduced in paeonol-treated rats. 6. Our results suggest that the mechanisms by which paeonol exerts its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects in this inflammatory model may be associated with decreased production of proinflammatory cytokines, NO and PGE(2) and increased production of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, in carrageenan-injected rat paws. In addition, attenuation of the elevated iNOS and COX-2 protein expression as well as neutrophil infiltration in carrageenan-injected paws may also be involved in the beneficial effects of paeonol.