Halimeda opuntia Green Seaweed Possesses Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Activities

In the present study, the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the green seaweed Halimeda opuntia were performed. Here, we report on the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the 50% ethanol extract of this seaweed. Using a Swiss Albino mouse model, carrageenan-induced paw edema was used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity, while hot plate, formalin-, and acetic acid-induced writhing were used to test the analgesic efficacy. In an earlier test for acute toxicity, the extract was given to mice at a concentration of 500 mg/kg body weight (BW), and the animals showed no detrimental effects. The extract revealed an anti-inflammatory effect by reducing paw edema as compared to the control and diclofenac groups in the carrageenan-induced paw edema method. The highest inhibition of 17.19% was recorded at hour four. In the analgesic study, the extract lengthened the response latency of the mice on the hot plate, and a time-dependent analgesic effect was observed. The extract showed promising results in both the early and late phases of pain removal in the formalin-induced method. The inhibition rate exceeded 80%. In the acetic acid-induced method, the H. opuntia extract reduced the number of writhings induced by intraperitoneal injections of acetic acid and about 14.7% inhibition was observed. These findings unequivocally demonstrate that the H. opuntia extract has antiinflammatory and analgesic properties, which will pave the way to using this species as a therapeutic drug target.