Anti-inflammatory potential of microemulsion and pure bullfrog oil in muscle injury

Abstract

Introduction: Every day science seeks new ways to treat various diseases through drugs that are efficient and viable. Thus, therapeutic alternatives that meet such demand are targets of study. Microemulsions are one of these new alternatives due to their peculiar pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic characteristics. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the anti-inflammatory potential of microemulsion and pure bullfrog oil using an experimental model of muscle injury. Methods: Male Swiss mice were divided into three groups: control, microemulsion and pure bullfrog oil. After the pre-treatment, a muscle injury was induced in the animals’ leg and subsequently evaluations were carried out in the horizontal extent of edema and compared between the groups at predetermined times. Following evaluation of muscle injury, dissection of the right gastrocnemius muscles was performed for histological analysis. Results: The microemulsion and pure bullfrog oil showed good anti-inflammatory activity, acting similarly in reducing edema during the first two hours, but without statistical significance from the 3rd to the 24th hour after induction. The histological analysis revealed that the muscle tissue of the animals treated with the microemulsion presented mild cellular infiltrate and little wear of muscle fibers when compared with the muscular tissue of animals treated with the pure bullfrog oil. The histological analysis of the hepatic tissue showed signs of injury in the liver lobes of the pure bullfrog oil group, not observed in the microemulsion group. Conclusion: The microemulsion sho-wed good anti-inflammatory potential in the acute phase of the inflammatory response, reducing the formation of edema and preserving muscle tissue against the occurrence of lesions and without inducing injury in hepatic tissue.

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Bullfrog Oil Polymeric Nanocapsules: From the Design to Preclinical Trials

“…This emulsified system theoretically could overcome the disadvantages of BFO in natura. 8 This microemulsion was composed of 90% of BFO, suggesting an oily external phase. However, the authors did not characterize the emulsified nanostructured system.…”

“…However, the authors did not characterize the emulsified nanostructured system. 8 Moreover, based on the microemulsion composition (90% BFO, 5% soy lecithin, and 5% ethanol at 70%), the reported BFO-based microemulsion was unable to mask the undesirable physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics of BFO.…”

“…6,7 In this context, recent studies have described new PUFA sources with potential biological effects and bullfrog oil (BFO), in particular, has drawn some attention. 8 This oil is a byproduct obtained from hot extraction of the adipose tissue, which is discarded during Rana catesbeiana Shaw meat processing, an anuran meat marketed worldwide. 9,10 As a natural oil, BFO has been used as an alternative and complementary medicine owing to its anti-inflammatory potential, which is due to its high omega-3 and omega-6 content (up to 26%) as described by Amaral-Machado et al and Rutckeviski et al 9,11 Additionally, studies have found that oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid described as the biosynthetic precursor of PUFAs, is the major compound (29.9%) in BFO.…”

“…Moreover, in vivo studies have indicated that BFO decreased tissue inflammation in Wistar rats and Swiss mice as expressively as indomethacin, highlighting the anti-inflammatory potential of this oil. 8,12 Although they provided useful knowledge for further research, these studies focused only on the activity of BFO in natura. It is well known that this oil presents challenging physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics, such as unfavorable smell, flavor, and spreadability, which contribute negatively to therapeutic compliance.…”