Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) Nuts Counteract Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in an Acute Experimental Model of Carrageenan-Induced Paw Edema

• Published in: Antioxidants Vol. 9; no. 8; p. 660
• Main Authors: Cordaro, Marika, Siracusa, Rosalba, Fusco, Roberta, D’Amico, Ramona, Peritore, Alessio Filippo, Gugliandolo, Enrico, Genovese, Tiziana, Scuto, Maria, Crupi, Rosalia, Mandalari, Giuseppina, Cuzzocrea, Salvatore, Di Paola, Rosanna, Impellizzeri, Daniela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.08.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Anacardiaceae; Anacardium occidentale; analgesic; Analgesics; Anti-inflammatory agents; antioxidant; Antioxidants; cashew nuts; Cashews; Catalase; Cytokines; Drug withdrawal; Edema; Enzymes; Free radicals; Glutathione; Health aspects; Inflammation; Injection; Leukocytes (neutrophilic); Lipid peroxidation; Lipids; Malondialdehyde; Medicinal plants; Neutrophils; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Nuts; Oxidative stress; Pain; paw edema; Peroxidase; Physiology; polyphenols; Prevention; Proteins; Reactive oxygen species; Superoxide dismutase; Italy
• ISSN: 2076-3921; 2076-3921
• DOI: 10.3390/antiox9080660

Background: Anacardium occidentale L. is a medicinal plant with powerful anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. Acute inflammatory events cause tissue alterations, decrease of anti-oxidative endogenous enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione, neutrophils infiltration, increase in the activities of myeloperoxidase, malondialdehyde, and pro-inflammatory release. Methods: Paw edema was induced by subplantar injection of carrageenan into the right hind paw in rats, but 30 min before a group of animals were orally treated with 100 mg/kg of cashew nuts to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative response. Results: In the present work, we found that (1) cashew nuts reduced the development of carrageenan-induced paw edema limiting the formation of edema and pain; (2) cashew nuts ameliorated the diminutions of the anti-oxidative enzymes caused by carrageenan injection; (3) cashew nuts decreased myeloperoxidase malondialdehyde activity induced by carrageenan; and (4) cashew nuts acted by blocking pro-inflammatory cytokines response and nitrate/nitrite formation stimulated by carrageenan injection. Conclusions: The mechanisms of anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects exerted by cashew nuts were relevant to oxygen free radical scavenging, anti-lipid peroxidation, and inhibition of the formation of inflammatory cytokines.