The use of lidocaine as an anti-inflammatory substance: a systematic review.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate existence of evidence that supports the therapeutical use of lidocaine as an anti-inflammatory substance.


METHODS
A search on health sciences databases was performed, including only papers published in English until May 2007 which reported in vivo experimental studies that tested lidocaine as an anti-inflammatory substance and used morphological and/or biochemical analysis. The keywords used were: "lidocaine & inflammation", "lidocaine & neutrophils" and "lidocaine & prostaglandin". The search results were previous selected by title and abstract, and then articles were read and those that met inclusion criteria were carefully analyzed and classified.


RESULTS
Only 10 articles met the inclusion criteria, and were carefully read. They were ranked (A, B, and C) according to the level of evidence produced. Seven articles were classified as C, two classified as B, and one classified as A. Despite methodological differences, all of them, except for one, reported that lidocaine showed anti-inflammatory effects.


CONCLUSIONS
According to the reviewed literature, lidocaine has a potential as an anti-inflammatory agent. However, there is still a lack of well-designed studies to support its clinical use, and none of them evaluated its effects on a mucous epithelium.
Caracas
Hugo Cesar Pinto Marques
HC
Department of Orthodontic and Pediatric Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. caracashugo@hotmail.com
Maciel
José Vinícius Bolognesi
JV
Martins
Patrícia Machado Rodrigues E Silva
PM
de Souza
Margareth Maria Gomes
MM
Maia
Lucianne Cople
LC
D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018849:Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023421:Models, Animal; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D008012:Lidocaine