[Inhibition of carrageenan edema by carrageenan itself]

The influence of two kinin forming agents: iota carrageenan and ellagic acid, on the paw oedema induced by 48/80, an amino-liberator, or by carrageenan iota, has been studied, in the Rat. Ellagic acid and carrageenan, by intraperitoneal injection, reduce the paw oedema induced respectively by 48/80 and carrageenan itself. This inhibition depends on a non-specific "counter-irritation" and not on kininogen stores depletion. Ellagic acid, by intravenous injection, diminishes the oedema induced by carrageenan; swelling due to 48/80, is not affected. So kininogen activation plays some role in the inflammatory processes induced by iota carrageenan. Carrageenan by intravenous injection, suppresses his own inflammatory action but does not influence at all the similar action of 48/80. The anti-inflammatory effect of carrageenan does not exclusively depend on kininogen stores depletion.