WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants - travolekar.ru

Oleum Ricini
(ricinoleic acid 0.3–3 mg/guinea-pig and capsaicin 0.009–0.09 mg/guineapig)
significantly potentiated the eyelid oedema induced by carrageenan.
The tachykinin NK1 receptor antagonist FK 888 (0.59 mg/kg subcutaneously)
reduced carrageenan-induced eyelid oedema induced by either ricinoleic
acid or capsaicin. Intravenous administration of the neutral endopeptidase
inhibitor, thiorphan (1.3 mg/kg body weight (bw)) significantly
enhanced carrageenan-induced eyelid oedema produced by ricinoleic acid.
However, repeated topical application of ricinoleic acid (0.9 mg/guineapig)
or capsaicin (0.09 mg/guinea-pig) for 8 days inhibited carrageenaninduced
eyelid oedema. This anti-inflammatory effect was accompanied
by a reduction in the tachykinin content of the eyelids, as determined by
radioimmunoassay. Ricinoleic acid, like capsaicin, appears to possess dual
pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory properties; these are observed
upon acute and repeated application, respectively (24).
A study comparing the anti-inflammatory activities of ricinoleic acid
with those of capsaicin in several models of acute and subchronic inflammation
was performed. Acute inflammation was induced by intradermal
injection of carrageenan in mice or by histamine in the guinea-pig eyelid.
Subchronic oedema was induced by injection of complete Freund’s adjuvant
into the right ventral paw of mice. Tissue substance P was measured
in the carrageenan experiments by radioimmunoassay. Acute topical application
of ricinoleic acid (0.9 mg/mouse) or capsaicin (0.09 mg/mouse)
significantly increased the mouse paw oedema induced by carrageenan,
while repeated topical treatment with the same doses of both compounds
for 8 days resulted in a marked inhibition of carrageenan-induced paw oedema
matched by a reduction in levels of substance P in tissue. Similar effects
were found against histamine-induced eyelid oedema in guinea-pigs
after acute or repeated application of ricinoleic acid or capsaicin. Ricinoleic
acid and capsaicin given for 1–3 weeks reduced the established oedema
induced by Freund’s adjuvant, a sub-chronic model of inflammation (25).
Induction of labour
An investigation exploring the effect of a diet including castor oil on the
initiation of labour of pregnant rats was performed. The time of the initiation
of labour and course of delivery were observed in rats that received
castor oil by gavage on days 18, 19 and 20 of gestation. The diet containing
castor oil induced the initiation of labour and shortened the course of
the delivery in rats. Ricinoleic acid was the active component of castor oil
in this study (26).
The effects of a diet containing castor oil on the synthesis of prostaglandin
E2 and the mechanism of labour induction were investigated in
pregnant rats fed a diet containing castor oil on days 18 and 19 of gesta-
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