Effects of a sulfated polysaccharide isolated from the red seaweed Solieria filiformis on models of nociception and inflammation

This work reports the effects of a sulfated polysaccharide (SP-Sf), isolated from the seaweed Solieria filiformis and characterized by Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR), on nociception and inflammation. Male Swiss mice were pretreated with SP-Sf 30 min before receiving an injection of 0.8% acetic acid, 1% formalin or 30 min prior to a thermal stimulus. We observed that SP-Sf (1, 3 or 9 mg/kg) significantly reduced the number of writhes. SP-Sf also reduced the second phase of the formalin test and did not cause a significant antinociceptive effect in the hot plate test, suggesting that its antinociceptive action occurs through a peripheral mechanism. SP-Sf (1, 3 or 9 mg/kg) did not show a significant anti-inflammatory effect in Wistar rats when administrated by the systemic route 1 h before testing using carrageenan or dextran. Finally, SP-Sf (9 mg/kg) did not show significant signs of toxicity when administrated in mice.