ANALGESIC, ANTIINFLAMMATORY, ANTIPYRETIC AND HEMATOLOGICAL EFFECTS OFAETHIOPINONE, AN OMICRON-NAPHTHOQUINONE DITERPENOID FROM SALVIA-AETHIOPIS ROOTS AND 2 HEMISYNTHETIC DERIVATIVES

Aethiopinone (1), an o-naphthoquinone diterpene from Salvia aethiopis L. roots and two hemisynthetic derivatives 2 and 3 have been evaluated for toxicity, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, and haemosta tic activities. The compounds tested showed low toxicity and a pharmac ological profile similar to other NSAI substances on reducing the edem a induced by carrageenan and contractions induced by phenyl-p-quinone; the most active compounds were 1 and 2. In the same way and as expect ed with these types of substances, the bleeding time increased. In the TPA-induced ear inflammation model, the three compounds showed a mode rate reduction of edema, and 1 produced a significant increase in the reaction time against thermal painful stimuli in the tail immersion te st. The results demonstrated strong anti-inflammatory, peripheral and central analgesic properties for 1, as well as antiedematose topical a ction and peripheral analgesic properties for 2 and 3.