Quantitative Evaluation of Ocular Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Based on Measurements of Corneal Temperature in Rabbits: Dexamethasone and Glycyrrhizin

Abstract

A method for the quantitative evaluation of topically applied anti-inflammatory agents is described. Conjunctival inflammation was induced in rabbits by topical instillation of n-butanol. The intensity of inflammation was determined by measuring changes of corneal surface temperature with an infrared thermometer. The closest correlation was obtained between corneal temperature change and the Draize score which is widely used as a subjective scoring method. Dexamethasone showed a good logarithmic dose-response inhibitory effect between 0.0001 and 0.1 %, and glycyrrhizin the same at 0.25–5%. Glycyrrhizin in a 5% solution showed a comparable anti-inflammatory effect to that of dexamethasone (0.1%). The inflammation model induced by n-butanol was mediated, in part, by the degranulation of mast cells because of some inhibitory effect of disodium cromoglycate (2%), an inhibitor of mast cell degranulation, and diphenhydramine hydrochloride (0.5%), an antihistaminic agent.

Modulation by glycyrrhetinic acid derivatives of TPA‐induced mouse ear oedema

“…Glycyrrhizin is a major saponin of liquorice root (Glycyrrhiza spp. ), which has been reported to have anti-allergic (Kuroyanagi & Saito, 1966), ocular antiinflammatory (Tanaka et al, 1987) and interferoninducing (Shinada et al, 1986) activities as well as anti-viral effects (Pompei et al, 1979) including those against varicella-herpes zoster virus (VZV) and human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV-III) (AIDS virus) (Ito et al, 1987). Its aglycone, glycyrrhetinic acid (Ia), also has pharmacological activities as an anti-inflammatory (Finney & Somers, 1958;Capasso et al, 1982) and anti-tumour promoter agent (Nishino et al, 1986), as well as inhibiting growth of 1 Author for correspondence.…”

Inhibitory Effects of Glycyrrhetinic Acid on DNA Polymerase and Inflammatory Activities

“…Compound 1 has been reported to possess various pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory activity [38], inhibition of prostaglandin E2 production in rat macrophages [39], antiallergic activity [40], antiviral activity [41, 42], and induction of interferon- γ [43]. In Japan, a preparation of compound 1 , Stronger-Neo Minophagen C, has been used extensively to treat chronic hepatitis for more than 30 years.…”

Real-time detection of the early event of cytotoxicity of herbal ingredients on single leukemia cells studied in a microfluidic biochip

“…65 Effects of licorice compounds on RAW 264.7 cancer cells Glycyrrhizin (GL), which is a major ingredient of licorice, has various desirable pharmacological properties such as antiviral, 67,68 anti-inflammatory. 69 Therefore, we studied to see whether this ingredient has anticancer or cytotoxic effects on leukemia cells.…”