α-zingiberene, a sesquiterpene from essential oil from leaves of <i>Casearia sylvestris</i>, suppresses inflammatory angiogenesis and stimulates collagen deposition in subcutaneous implants in mice
Bruno Antônio Ferreira, Ricardo Ferreira Silva, Francyelle Borges Rosa de Moura, Carolina Tannús Narduchi, Simone Ramos Deconte, Patrı́cia Sartorelli, Tatiana Carla Tomiosso, João Henrique G. Lago, Fernanda de Assis Araújo
Abstract
, a plant widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, tumours, and bacterial infections. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of daily administration of α-zingiberene (0.01, 0.1 and 1 μg diluted in 10 μl of 0.5% DMSO) on the inflammatory, angiogenic, and fibrogenic components, induced by subcutaneous sponge implants in an animal model. Treatment with sesquiterpene resulted in a reduction in macrophage activation, as well as in mean blood vessels and in the activity of metalloproteinases 2 and 9. Furthermore, it resulted in an increase in collagen deposition near the implants. These results show the therapeutic potential of α-zingiberene in the treatment of pathologies, in which processes such as inflammation and angiogenesis are exacerbated, or even for the treatment of chronic wounds.