PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF FRUCTOSE-1,6-BISPHOSPHATE AGAINST CARRAGEENAN-INDUCED INFLAMMATION

Administration of carrageenan (0.5 mg) to the plantar tissue of rats resulted in reversible inflammatory injury. This damage was monitored as changes in foot volume, using a plethysmometer. Administration of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate at different doses, orally or intraperitoneally, prevented the inflammatory action induced by the simultaneous injection of carrageenan in the rat paw. The effect was dose and time dependent. In contrast, fructose or fructose 6-phosphate afforded no significant protection. In order to extend the average half-life of the drug, we prepared liposomes of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate which, administered orally or intraperitoneally, showed a greater and more prolonged antiinflammatory action. The significance of these findings with respect to the mechanism of the antiinflammatory action of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate is discussed.