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Anti-inflammatory and antialgic actions of a nanoemulsion of Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil and a molecular docking study of its major chemical constituents

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Abstract

We evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antialgic potency of a nanoemulsion (NEORO) containing the essential oil of Rosmarinus officinalis L. (EORO), which is composed primarily of limonene, camphor and 1,8-cineole. The EORO and NEORO were administered orally 30 min prior to starting the experiments. In a test of rat paw oedema induced by carrageenan, NEORO was effective in doses of 498 µg/kg, and it inhibited 46% of the maximum peak of the oedema; in a dose of 300 mg/kg, EORO inhibited 50% of the maximum peak of the oedema. In an acetic acid-induced writhing test, NEORO yielded a dose-dependent effect, and a dose of 830 µg/kg inhibited 84% of the algesic process; a dose of 100 mg/kg of EORO inhibited 55%. In an assay for H2S production in rat stomachs, a dose of 498 µg/kg of NEORO inhibited H2S production in all of the measurement phases, and a dose of 100 mg/kg EORO inhibited 60% and influenced the effect of the ethanol significantly, reducing the production of H2S. We suggest that NEORO potentiated the effect of EORO, demonstrating effectiveness in doses 600 times lower than those applied with EORO. Among the major compounds of EORO, the camphor molecule exhibited the largest number of interactions with the therapeutic targets related to the inflammatory process, suggesting that it is responsible for EORO’s anti-inflammatory and antialgic effects. This work paves the way for future investigations related to the therapeutic role of NEORO in the inflammation process.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge PNPD/CAPES (Program/Project: PNPD20130076-14001012005P1), CAPES (No. 3292/2013 AUXPE) and CNPq Proc. 402332/2013-0 for financial support and the Universidad Autônoma de México—Programa de Estancias de Investigación (PREI).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Pesquisa em Fármacos, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e Saúde, Universidade Federal do Amapá (UNIFAP), Rodovia Juscelino Kubitschek, S/N, Campus Marco Zero, Macapá, AP, CEP 68903-419, Brazil

    Raphaelle Sousa Borges, Hady Keita, Irlon Maciel Ferreira, Jonatas Lobato Duarte, Brenda Lorena Sánchez Ortiz & José Carlos Tavares Carvalho

  2. Laboratório de Atividade Biológica – BIOPHAR, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Avenida General Rodrigo Otávio, 6200 - Coroado I, Manaus, AM, 69067-005, Brazil

    Emerson Silva Lima

  3. Universidad Tecnologica del Valle de Toluca, Carretera del Departamento del D.F. km. 7.5, Sta Maria Atarasquillo, CP 52044, Lerma, Mexico

    Hady Keita

  4. Laboratório de Nanotecnologia Fitofarmacêutica, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e Saúde, Universidade Federal do Amapá (UNIFAP), Macapá, AP, Brazil

    Caio Pinho Fernandes & Rodrigo Alves Soares Cruz

  5. Laboratório de Farmacologia de Productos Naturales (LFPN), Facultat de Química, Universidad Nacional Autônoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad Universitária, 04510, México, DF, Mexico

    Josué Velázquez-Moyado & Andrés Navarrete Castro

  6. Laboratório de Química Farmacêutica e Medicinal (PharMedChem), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e Saúde, Universidade Federal do Amapá (UNIFAP), Macapá, AP, Brazil

    Jaderson Vieira Ferreira & Lorane Izabel da Silva Hage-Melim

  7. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Inovação Farmacêutica, Curso de Farmácia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e Saúde, Universidade Federal do Amapá (UNIFAP), Macapá, AP, Brazil

    Raphaelle Sousa Borges, Caio Pinho Fernandes, Brenda Lorena Sánchez Ortiz, Jaderson Vieira Ferreira, Lorane Izabel da Silva Hage-Melim & José Carlos Tavares Carvalho

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  1. Raphaelle Sousa Borges
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  2. Emerson Silva Lima
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Correspondence to Raphaelle Sousa Borges.

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Borges, R.S., Lima, E.S., Keita, H. et al. Anti-inflammatory and antialgic actions of a nanoemulsion of Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil and a molecular docking study of its major chemical constituents. Inflammopharmacol 26, 183–195 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-017-0374-8

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