Validation of the Anti-Arthritis Properties of Cetyl Myristoleate Administered Orally and by Injection

OBJECTIVE & METHODS: Cetyl myristoleate (CMO) was reported by Diehl and May [J Pharm Sci 83 (1994) 296] to block inflammation and prevent adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. To verify this earlier work, we have synthesized pure CMO and tested its anti-arthritic properties in a collagen-induced arthritis model in DBA/1LacJ mice.

RESULTS: Multiple intraperitoneal injections of CMO in 450 and 900mgkg(-1) doses resulted in a significantly lower incidence of disease and caused a modest but significant diminution in clinical signs in those mice that developed arthritis. CMO administered in daily oral doses of 20mgkg(-1) also reduced the incidence of arthritis and caused a small reduction in the clinical signs in mice that developed arthritis.

CONCLUSION: Although the protective effect of CMO in collagen-induced arthritis observed in the present study was less dramatic than that reported earlier, our results confirm the anti-arthritic properties of pure CMO.

Source:

Hunter KW, Gault RA, Stehouwer JS, Tam-Chang SW. Validation of the Anti-Arthritis Properties of Cetyl Myristoleate Administered Orally and by Injection; Pharmacol Res. 2003 Jan;47(1):43-7.

Department of Microbiology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, 89557, Reno, NV, USA

Key concepts: cetyl myristoleate, CMO, arthritis