Abstract
Some plant proteases (e. g., papain, bromelain, ficin) have been used as anti-inflammatory
agents for some years, and especially bromelain is still being used as alternative
and/or complementary therapy to glucocorticoids, nonsteroidal antirheumatics, and
immunomodulators. Bromelain is an extract rich in cysteine endopeptidases obtained
from Ananas comosus. In this study the anti-inflammatory action of a partially purified extract of Bromelia hieronymi fruits, whose main components are cysteine endopeptidases, is presented. Different
doses of a partially purified extract of B. hieronymi were assayed on carrageenan-induced and serotonine-induced rat paw edema, as well
as in cotton pellet granuloma model. Doses with equal proteolytic activity of the
partially purified extract and bromelain showed significantly similar anti-inflammatory
responses. Treatment of the partially purified extract and bromelain with E-64 provoked
loss of anti-inflammatory activity on carrageenan-induced paw edema, a fact which
is consistent with the hypothesis that the proteolytic activity would be responsible
for the anti-inflammatory action.
Key words
Bromelia hieronymi
- Bromeliaceae - bromelain - anti-inflammatory - plant proteases
