title: Warifteine, a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid, decreases immediate allergic and thermal hyperalgesic reactions in sensitized animals.
abstract: Warifteine is a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid isolated from the Cissampelos sympodialis Eichl (Menispermaceae). This plant is used in the folk medicine for the treatment of airway respiratory diseases. A murine model of immediate allergic reaction was used to evaluate warifteine treatment in the IgE production, leukocyte activation, thermal hyperalgesia, mast cell degranulation and scratching behavior. BALB/c mice treated with warifteine (0.4-10 mg/Kg) 1 h before OVA sensitization reduced OVA induced paw edema as well as the OVA-specific IgE serum titers as compared with non-treated and OVA-sensitized animals. Warifteine also reduced the mice death evoked by IgE-dependent anaphylactic shock reaction at 30 min after intravenous OVA challenge. To assess the effect of warifteine treatment on T cell proliferative response, spleen cells from warifteine treated or non-treated and OVA-sensitized animals were evaluated. Spleen cells from warifteine treated animals (2.0 mg/kg) did not proliferate following OVA stimulation as compared with spleen cell cultures from non-treated animals. This response may be related with the increase of NO production as observed in peritoneal macrophage cultures treated with warifteine. Thermal hyperalgesia evoked by IgE or histamine/5-hydroxytryptamine challenge was inhibited on rats at dose of 4.0 mg/kg. Warifteine treatment (0.6 or 6.0 microg/ml) also decreased the IgEalphaDNP-BSA sensitized mast degranulation after DNP-BSA challenge measured by histamine release. In addition, compound 48/80-induced scratching behavior was also sensitive to warifteine treatment. These results demonstrate for the first time that warifteine treatment reduced the allergy-associated responses.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Tecnologia Farmacêutica, Departamento de Fisiologia e Patologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, 58051-970 Paraíba, Brazil.
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Bezerra-Santos
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Barbosa Filho
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Piuvezam
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000707:Anaphylaxis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D015550:Cell Degranulation / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006636:Histamine Release / Q000187:drug effects; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; C003931:warifteine; D010047:Ovalbumin