Estudo da atividade antiinflamatória e antinociceptiva da lectina isolada da alga marinha vermelha Hypnea cervicornis (J. Agardh)

Abstract

Lectins are (glyco)proteins that can recognize and reversibly bind to carbohydrates or other substances derived from sugars. They are found throughout animal and vegetal kingdoms. Hypnea cervicornis is a species of marine red algae found in Northeast of Brazil from which was isolated the lectin Hypnea cervicornis aglutinin (HCA), a polypeptide containing 90 amino acid residues (9193 Da) that binds especifically to mucin-type glycoprotein. The objective of this work was to study the anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activities of HCA not yet known. Albine Swiss mice (20-35g) and Wistar rats (150-250g) were used. For the study of HCA anti-inflammatory activity, the rats were injected (i.v.) with lectin alone in the doses of 10-2; 10-1; 1 e 10 mg/Kg (peritonitis) or a dose of 1 mg/Kg associated to 5 mg/mL of mucin (1 mg/Kg). Following this procedure, the animals were evaluated in the peritonitis model induced by Cg (direct neutrophil chemoatractant) or by fMLP (indirect neutrophil chemoatractant). HCA (10-1; 1 and 10 mg/Kg) inhibited Cg- and fMLP-induced peritonitis. In Cg-induced peritonitis it was observed that: the administration of HCA (1mg/Kg) in association with mucin inhibited its anti-inflammatory activity (p<0.05), suggesting the participation of the lectin site on this mechanism; heating HCA at 100oC, for 10 minutes, inhibited its anti-inflammatory effect, indicating the importance of its structure for that mechanism; the intravital microscopy showed that HCA reduced the rolling and adhesion of the leucocytes; the lectin induced the production of nitric oxide (NO Griess reaction) in serum; aminoguanidine and L-Nitro-arginin inhibited the HCA activity; HCA did not reduce the concentrations of TNF-α and IL-1 in the peritoneum. The arterial pressure and the leukogram of the animals were not altered by the administration of HCA. The lectin does not act directly on neutrophils because it did not inhibit the in vitro chemotaxis induced by MIP-2, a chemotactic agent. In the carragenan (Cg)- or dextran-induced paw edema, HCA (1 mg/Kg) inhibited significantly (p<0.05) only the Cg-induced paw edema. The antiedematogenic effect of HCA was prevented when it was administered in association with mucin. HCA reduced the writhes induced by acetic acid and its antinociceptive effect was prevented by the association with mucin. HCA only decreased the second phase of formalin test. In the hot plate, HCA did not show any effects. The lectin did not alter the motor coordination. The HCA subcronic toxicity was evaluated treating rats with a dose of 1mg/Kg during seven days and analys of several parameters: kidney functions (wet weight, creatinin and urea serum concentrations), liver functions (wet weight, kinetic of serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase), heart (wet weight) stomach (wet weight and visual evaluation of possible lesions), variation of body weight of treated animals and leukogram. The results showed no alterations of the evaluated parameters suggesting that HCA seems to be well tolerated by animals. The results taken together reveal that HCA presents anti-inflammatory and nociceptive activities which could be explained by direct competitive blockage with a common selectin carbohydrate ligand and/or indirectly, via NO production, which decrease of rolling and adhesion of leukocytes to endothelium.