Antinociceptive and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Bixin, a Carotenoid Extracted from the Seeds of Bixa orellana - PubMed
Bixin is the main natural apocarotenoid extracted from the seeds of <i>Bixa orellana,</i> widely used as a cosmetic and textile colorant. Despite the description of several pharmacological properties of <i>B. orellana</i> extracts, little has been studied regarding the pharmacological properties...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Only the higher dose of bixin significantly decreased the carrageenan-induced paw edema and the MPO activity and increased the latency time in the hot plate. Both doses of bixin significantly reduced the number of flinches in both phases of the formalin test and the number of acetic acid-induced writhings without changing the locomotor performance in the open field test. This study validates the use of bixin as an anti-inflammatory trough mechanism related to the reduction of neutrophil migration. Furthermore, this is the first report showing the antinociceptive property of bixin, which does not appear to be related to the sedative effect. Further studies are necessary to characterize the mechanisms involved in these effects.