Anti-inflammatory effects of coumarin of Angelicae dahuricae

In this study, anti-inflammatory effect of coumarin of Angelicae dahuricae (CAD) and mechanism of its actions were studied. Experiments of mouse ear swelling induced by croton oil in mice, increased capillary permeability induced by glacial acetic acid in mice and rat paw swelling induced by carrageenan were used to observe the anti-inflammatory effect of CAD. ELISA was used to measure prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) level, and Western blot was used to detect COX-2 content for exploring the anti-inflammatory mechanism of CAD. The results showed that CAD (60 and 120 mg · kg-1) could significantly inhibit mouse ear swelling induced by croton oil, the increased peritoneal capillary permeability caused by acetic acid, and the rat paw swelling induced by carrageenan; CAD could significantly lower PGE₂ and COX-2 levels in the inflammatory tissues. CAD can produce a strong anti-inflammatory effects and its mechanism may be related to its inhibition of COX-2 expression which can cause the reduction of PGE₂ biosynthesis.