A lectin fraction from green seaweed Caulerpa cupressoides inhibits inflammatory nociception in the temporomandibular joint of rats dependent from peripheral mechanisms.

Temporomandibular disorders are the second most common cause of orofacial pain mediated by inflammatory compounds, which in many cases leads to chronic orofacial pain. This study assessed the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of a lectin from the green seaweed Caulerpa cupressoides (CcL) on hypernociception inflammatory in TMJ of rats and investigated the involvement of different mechanisms. Rats received i.v. CcL 30 min prior to injection of flogistic agentes or 0.9% saline into the left TMJ. Pretreatment with CcL (0. 1; 1 or 10 mg/kg) promoted a reduction (p < 0.05) of inflammatory hypernociception induced by 1.5% Formalin along with inhibition of inflammatory plasma extravasation, cytokines levels, ciclooxigenase-2, and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1). CcL was able to inhibit the nociceptive response induced by 1.5% Capsaicin, suggesting that CcL has an antinociceptive effect, acting directly on the primary nociceptive neurons. CcL also inhibited the nociceptive response induced by Carrageenan (100 μg/TMJ) or Serotonin (5-HT) (225 μg/TMJ). In conclusion, the results demonstrate that administration of CcL has a potential antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effect, with a mechanism that is partially dependent on TNF-α, IL-1β, COX-2 and ICAM-1 inhibition and independently from the cannabinoide and opioid system and NO/cGMP/PKG/K+ ATP channel pathway.