eng Oriental Scientific Publishing Company Biomedical and Pharmacology Journal 0974-6242 2026-03-20 19 1 776 784 10.13005/bpj/3391 70221 article Siti Nur Syahida Abdul Jalil 1 Ng Chin Theng 2 Fong Lai Yen 3 Yong Yoke Keong 4 Muhammad Nazrul Hakim 1 Zuraini Ahmad 1 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Department of Physiology, Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology, Kedah, Malaysia. Department of Pre-clinical Sciences, M. Kandiah Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. Laboratory of Halal Science Research, Halal Product Institute, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. Inflammation is a protective physiological response that may cause tissue damage when prolonged. Copper–amino acid complexes, including Cu(L-alanine)₂, have been reported to possess various biological activities. However, their anti-inflammatory potential remains underexplored. This study evaluated the in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of Cu(L-ala)₂ using three experimental models in rats: acetic acid-induced peritoneal vascular permeability, carrageenan-induced paw edema, and nitric oxide (NO) production in paw tissue. Rats were divided into four groups (n = 6) and treated with vehicle control (1% DMSO), indomethacin (10 mg/kg), or Cu(L-ala)₂ at doses of 2 or 20 mg/kg. Acetic acid markedly increased vascular permeability, which was significantly inhibited by Cu(L-ala)₂ by 74.1% (2 mg/kg) and 81.23% (20 mg/kg). In the paw edema model, both doses significantly reduced inflammation compared with the control, with the 2 mg/kg dose showing the greatest inhibition (63.79%) at 1 hour. In contrast, Cu(L-ala)₂ produced only a moderate reduction in NO levels, reaching statistical significance only at 20 mg/kg (27.56%), while indomethacin showed a stronger effect (46.28%). Overall, Cu(L-ala)₂ demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity by reducing vascular permeability and edema formation. However, its limited effect on NO production suggests that its mechanism of action may be largely NO-independent. Further studies are required to clarify its molecular targets, dose–response behavior, and therapeutic potential. https://biomedpharmajournal.org/vol19no1/assessment-of-the-anti-inflammatory-activity-of-cul-alanine%e2%82%82-in-acute-inflammation-animal-models/ Animal models Anti-inflammatory Cu(L-Alanine)₂ Paw edema Peritoneal vascular permeability