EN
Our recent studies indicate that some derivatives of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) possess analgesic properties in rodent models of pain and inflammation. Despite this pronounced biological activity, the mechanism of action of these GBL still remains unclear. Searching for the plausible mechanism of their action we investigated whether they were (similarly to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatoiy drugs) capable of influencing the PGE2 level in mice subjected experimentally to zymosan-induced peritonitis. The PGE2 level was evaluated in vitro by means of the ELISA assay. We also investigated the influence of orally administered GBL on the rat gastric mucosa in post mortem studies. We have demonstrated that neither of the GBL derivatives influences the PGE2 level in zymosan-induced inflammation of the peritoneal cavity in mice. The investigated compounds are also devoid of adverse effects within the stomach, typical of cyclooxygenase inhibitors, which also indirectly suggests that their analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities result from mechanisms other than cyclooxygenase inhibition.