How Scientists Simulate Pain: The Carrageenan Model in Pharmacology

The carrageenan-induced paw edema model is a experimental method to study inflammation and pain in laboratory animals. Injection of λ-carrageenan into the rat’s hind paw produces inflammatory response through the release of mediators like histamine, serotonin, and prostaglandins.

Carrageenan produces a biphasic inflammatory response:

  • Phase I (0–2 hours): mediated by histamine, serotonin, and bradykinin.

  • Phase II (3–5 hours): primarily prostaglandin- and cytokine-mediated.

Its sensitivity to NSAIDs and other anti-inflammatory agents continues to make it a gold standard in preclinical testing.

:pill: In the carrageenan-induced pain model, different mediators dominate the first and second phases of inflammation. Do you think this distinction is pharmacologically important?

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5776026/

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