A comparative study on anti-inflammatory activities of the enantiomers, shikonin and alkannin

A pharmacological comparison between the enantiomers, shikonin (R) and alkannin (S), was made with regard to their inhibitory effects on the increased capillary permeability and thermal edema in rats, using phenylbutazone as a positive control in both models. The results of experiments have shown that there is no significant difference in the anti-inflammatory activity between the two compounds.