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Ethnopharmacological relevance Schinus terebinthifolius is a species of plant from the Anacardiaceae family, which can be found in different regions of Brazil. Schinus is popularly known as aroeirinha, aroeira-vermelha, or Brazilian pepper. In folk medicine, S. terebinthifolius is used for several disorders, including inflammatory conditions, skin wounds, mucosal membrane ulcers, respiratory problems, gout, tumors, diarrhea and arthritis. According to chemical analyses, gallic acid, methyl gallate and pentagalloylglucose are the main components of hydroalcoholic extracts from S. terebinthifolius leaves. In the present study, we demonstrated the ability of a hydroalcoholic extract to inhibit cell migration in arthritis and investigated the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. Materials and methods The anti-inflammatory effect of S. terebinthifolius hydroalcoholic leaf extract (ST-70) was investigated in a zymosan-induced experimental model of inflammation. Male Swiss and C57Bl/6 mice received zymosan (100 µg/cavity) via intra-thoracic (i.t.) or intra-articular (i.a.) injection after oral pre-treatment with ST-70. The direct action of ST-70 on neutrophils was evaluated via chemotaxis. Results ST-70 exhibited a dose-dependent effect in the pleurisy model. The median effective dose (ED 50 ) was 100 mg/kg, which inhibited 70% of neutrophil accumulation when compared with the control group. ST-70 reduced joint diameter and neutrophil influx for synovial tissues at 6 h and 24 h in zymosan-induced arthritis. Additionally, ST-70 inhibited synovial interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, keratinocyte-derived chemokine (CXCL1/KC) and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α production at 6 h and CXCL1/KC and IL-1β production at 24 h. The direct activity of ST-70 on neutrophils was observed via the impairment of CXCL1/KC-induced chemotaxis in neutrophils. Oral administration of ST-70 did not induce gastric damage. Daily administration for twenty days did not kill any animals. In contrast, similar administrations of diclofenac induced gastric damage and killed all animals by the fifth day. Conclusions Our results demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory effects of ST-70, suggesting a putative use of this herb for the development of phytomedicines to treat inflammatory diseases, such as joint inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Schinus is a genus of the Anacardiaceae family and contains Schinus terebinthifolius, the Brazilian pepper tree that is widely used in folk medicine. We investigate the anti-allergic activity of the ethyl acetate fraction of S. terebinthifolius Raddi (ST fraction). HPLC analysis reveled that gallic acid, methyl gallate and 1,2,3,4,6-pentagalloylglucose are the major aromatic components of the fraction. Oral pre-treatment with the ST fraction (100 mg/kg) significantly inhibited paw edema induced by compound 48/80 (100 ng/paw) and to a lesser extent, the allergic paw edema (OVA, 3 μg/paw). The ST fraction (100 and 200 mg/kg) also inhibited the edema induced by histamine (100 μg/paw), preventing mast cell degranulation and, consequently, histamine release in Wistar rat peritoneal mast cells induced by C 48/80 (5 μg/mL). This histamine inhibition was also observed after mast cell pre-treatment with both methyl gallate and 1,2,3,4,6-pentagalloylglucose (100 μg/mL), the isolated compounds from the ethyl acetate fraction. Pre-treatment with the ST fraction (100 mg/kg) significantly inhibited total leukocyte and eosinophil accumulation in pleural cavities 24 h after the intrathoracic injection of OVA (12.5 μg/cavity). This effect was related to the inhibition of CCL11/eotaxin and CCL5/RANTES in pleural lavage fluid. Pre-treatment with this fraction (100 mg/kg) failed to reduce the cell influx that was observed after LPS-injection into pleural cavity (250 ng/cavity). These findings demonstrate the anti-allergic effect of the ST fraction, which includes the inhibition of edema formation and histamine release caused by mast cell degranulation and eosinophil influx into the pleural cavity probably reflected by the decreased levels of chemokines in recovered pleural lavage fluid. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]