Investigation of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects from an extract of Aplysina caissara, a marine sponge.

A variety of biologically active compounds with pharmacological applications has been reported to occur in marine sponges. The present study was undertaken to provide a set of data about an extract from Aplysina caissara, a Brazilian marine sponge. The antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects were investigated against different experimental models in mice. When evaluated against writhing test intraperitoneally (60 and 90 mg/kg), the extract significantly inhibited abdominal constriction by 33.7% and 41.4% respectively. In the formalin test (60 and 90 mg/kg), the extract of sponge inhibited 43.6% and 51.6% in the first phase and 98.2% and 97.2% in the second phase respectively. When evaluated against the hot plate test, both doses demonstrated activity. An increase in the hot plate latency was observed after 60 min. The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated by formalin-induced mice paw edema. Extract from A. caissara (60 and 90 mg/kg) significantly reduced hind paw swelling. Mortality increased with increasing doses, with LD(50) of 212.2 mg/kg for intraperitoneal administration. These results demonstrated that the extract of the marine sponge A. caissara possesses antinociceptive and anti-edematogenic effects.