Abstract
The natural product aesculin was demonstrated to possess potent hypouricemic effects
in in vivo models of hyperuricemia in both mice and rats pretreated with oxonate. Aesculin,
when administered intraperitoneally to the oxonate-induced hyperuricemic rodents,
was able to elicit dose-dependent hypouricemic effects. At doses of 150 mg/kg of aesculin
or above, the serum urate levels of the oxonate-pretreated mice were not different
from normal mice. Such an effect in mice was observed as quick as 1.5 h after aesculin
administration and was persistent for at least 5 h after aesculin administration.
In rats, similar hypouricemic effects of intraperitoneally administered aesculin could
also be demonstrated at doses of 100 mg/kg of aesculin or above, the serum urate levels
of the oxonate-pretreated rats were not different from normal rats. Again, the effect
persisted for at least 5 h after aesculin administration. In both rodents, however,
oral administration at the same doses did not produce any observable hypouricemic
effects. In addition, aesculin, when tested in vitro on rat and mouse liver homogenates, did not elicit any measurable inhibitory actions
on the xanthine oxidase/xanthine dehydrogenase activities.
References
Arthritis and allied conditions. 12th ed . Philadelphia; Lea and Febiger 1993: 1807-18 Textbook of rheumatology. Philadelphia; W.B. Saunders 1991: 862-77 Fraxinus ornus stem bark and aesculin on zymosan- and carrageenan-induced paw oedema in mice.
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kongld@nju.edu.cn
