ANTIINFLAMMATORY ACTIVITIES OF PROCYANIDIN-CONTAINING EXTRACTS FROM PINUS-PINASTER AIT AFTER ORAL AND CUTANEOUS APPLICATION

Orally in liquid diet administered procyanidin-containing extracts fro m Pinus pinaster Ait. decreased the croton oil-induced ear edema in mi ce or the compound 48/80-induced hind paw edema in rats to a statistic ally significant extent. Most effective were the extracts containing m ainly oligomeric procyanidins with chain lengths greater then 4 units (extracts A or B). Further, the different extracts incorporated in var ious concentrations (1.0, 3.0 or 0.1%) in 5% hydroxyethylcellulose gel and applied topically on the shaved back of rats, inhibited significa ntly the ultraviolet radiation-induced increased capillary permeabilit y. In these experiments, normalisation of capillary permeability was n ot correlated with the content of the extracts on higher oligomeric pr ocyanidins.