Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Nociceptive Activities of Native and Modified Hen Egg White Lysozyme

Abstract Persistent inflammatory conditions can have severe pathological consequences. Although the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is effective, it has side effects, particularly at the gastrointestinal level. There is then a high interest to identify natural anti-inflammatory compounds with no side effects. The anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activities of hen egg lysozyme (LZ), both in its native form and modified by heat treatment, chemically or by enzymatic digestion have been tested in this study. The carrageenan-induced model in mice using native LZ or modified LZ has been applied. It was observed that LZ denatured by heat treatment at pH 6.0 presented 39.47% of inhibition of paw edema when administered at 30 mg/kg. LZ denatured with DL-dithiothreitol (DTT) presented a significant result of 42.10% inhibition of paw edema when administered at 30 mg/kg of animal weight. Modified LZ showed anti-inflammatory capacity comparable with the activity of the positive control dexam...