Stigmasterol is a phytosterol that presents pharmacologic properties. However, its anti-inflammatory mechanism and antinociceptive effect are not yet elucidated. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of stigmasterol and its mechanism of action in mice. The antinociceptive activity was assessed by the acetic acid-induced writhing test, formalin test, and hot plate test. The anti-inflammatory activity was investigated by carrageenan-induced peritonitis and paw edema induced by arachidonic acid. The involvement of glucocorticoid receptors in the mechanism of stigmasterol anti-inflammatory action was investigated by molecular docking, also by pretreating mice with RU-486 (glucocorticoid receptor antagonist) in the acetic acid-induced writhing test. Mice motor coordination was evaluated by the rota-rod test and the locomotor activity by the open field test. The lowest effective dose of stigmasterol was standardized at 10 mg/kg (p.o.). It prevented abdominal writhes and paw licking, but it did not increase the latency time in the hot plate test, suggesting that stigmasterol does not show an antinociceptive effect in response to a thermal stimulus. Stigmasterol decreased leukocyte infiltration in peritonitis assay and reduced paw edema elicited by arachidonic acid. Molecular docking suggested that stigmasterol interacts with the glucocorticoid receptor. Also, RU-486 prevented the effect of stigmasterol in the acetic-acid abdominal writhing test, which might indicate the contribution of glucocorticoid receptors in the mechanism of stigmasterol action. Stigmasterol reduced the number of crossings but did not impair mice's motor coordination. Our results show that stigmasterol presents anti-inflammatory effects probably mediated by glucocorticoid receptors.

中文翻译：

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豆甾醇对小鼠抗炎作用的研究：深入了解其作用机制。

豆甾醇是一种具有药理特性的植物甾醇。然而，其抗炎机制和抗伤害作用尚未阐明。因此，本研究旨在研究豆甾醇在小鼠中的抗炎和抗伤害活性及其作用机制。通过乙酸引起的扭体试验、福尔马林试验和热板试验评价抗伤害活性。通过角叉菜胶诱导的腹膜炎和花生四烯酸诱导的爪水肿来研究其抗炎活性。通过分子对接以及在乙酸诱导的扭体试验中用 RU-486（糖皮质激素受体拮抗剂）预处理小鼠，研究了糖皮质激素受体在豆甾醇抗炎作用机制中的参与。通过旋转棒测试评估小鼠的运动协调性，通过旷场测试评估小鼠的运动活动。豆甾醇的最低有效剂量标准化为 10 mg/kg（口服）。它可以防止腹部扭动和舔爪，但不会增加热板测试中的潜伏时间，这表明豆甾醇在响应热刺激时不会表现出抗伤害作用。豆甾醇可减少腹膜炎测定中的白细胞浸润，并减少花生四烯酸引起的爪水肿。分子对接表明豆甾醇与糖皮质激素受体相互作用。此外，RU-486 在醋酸腹部扭体试验中阻止了豆甾醇的作用，这可能表明糖皮质激素受体在豆甾醇作用机制中的作用。豆甾醇减少了交叉次数，但不损害小鼠的运动协调性。我们的结果表明，豆甾醇具有可能由糖皮质激素受体介导的抗炎作用。