Our results demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory effects of ST-70, suggesting a putative use of this herb for the development of phytomedicines to treat inflammatory diseases, such as joint inflammation.

Methyl gallate (MG) is a prevalent phenolic acid in the plant kingdom, and its presence in herbal medicines might be related to its remarkable biological effects, such as its antioxidant, antitumor, and antimicrobial activities. Although some indirect evidence suggests anti-inflammatory activity for MG, there are no studies demonstrating this effect in animal models. Herein, we demonstrated that MG (0.7-70 mg/kg) inhibited zymosan-induced experimental arthritis in a dose-dependent manner. The oral administration of MG (7 mg/kg) attenuates arthritis induced by zymosan, affecting edema formation, leukocyte migration, and the production of inflammatory mediators (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, CXCL-1, LTB4, and PGE2). Pretreatment with MG inhibited in vitro neutrophil chemotaxis elicited by CXCL-1, as well as the adhesion of these cells to TNF-α-primed endothelial cells. MG also impaired zymosan-stimulated macrophages by inhibiting IL-6 and NO production, COX-2 and iNOS expression, and intracellular calcium mobilization. Thus, MG is likely to present an anti-inflammatory effect by targeting multiple cellular events such as the production of various inflammatory mediators, as well as leukocyte activation and migration.

These results suggest that the CB receptor may represent a new target for modulating the inflammatory reaction induced by mycobacteria.

No abstract