Galactomannan extracted from Libidibia ferrea seed regulates experimentally induced inflammatory response and oxidative stress.

Plant galactomannan extracted from the endosperm of Libidibia ferrea seeds is characterized by high viscosity and rich phenolic composition with antioxidant potential and enzymatic activity, being useful in the food industry and pharmaceutical formulations. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect of a polysaccharide extracted from Libidibia ferrea seeds (PLS-Lf) in models of acute inflammation. PLS-Lf was characterized as galactomannan, which has a main chain formed by β(1 → 4)d-mannopyranosyl units with α-(1 → 6)-d-galactopyranosyl branches. The animals received PLS-Lf at doses of 1.0, 3.0 and 10 mg/kg. The 10 mg/kg dose of PLS-Lf showed the best effect among all doses tested, significantly reducing edema induced by carrageenan, histamine, serotonin and prostaglandin E2. In addition, it was able to significantly reduce leukocyte migration to the peritoneal cavity and the concentration of the enzyme myeloperoxidase, malondialdehyde, and preserve glutathione levels. In the nociception test, it significantly reduced the paw licking time induced by formalin in both phases of the test. The data suggest that this PLS-Lf is an important pharmacological tool to study the anti-inflammatory properties of natural drug candidates with therapeutic potential against inflammatory diseases.