Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of Me-UCH9, a dual cyclooxygenase-2/5-lipoxygenase inhibitor

The LC-MS/MS Identification and Analgesic and Wound Healing Activities of Lavandula officinalis Chaix: In Vivo and In Silico Approaches

We earlier emphasized in vivo the lavender plant's (Lavandula officinalis Chaix.) anti-inflammatory and estrogenic activities and described the chemical compositions of its hydro-ethanolic (HE) extract. We used LC-MS/MS and GC-MS analyses to profile the phytochemical composition of the HE extract and to assess the analgesic and wound-healing effects of both the hydro-ethanolic (HE) and polyphenolic (LOP) extracts in vivo and in silico. The analgesic activity was studied using two methods: acetic acid and formalin injections in mice. The wound-healing activity was carried out over 25 days using a burn model in rats. In the in silico study, the polyphenols identified in the plant were docked in the active sites of three enzymes: casein kinase-1, cyclooxygenase-2, and glycogen synthase kinase-3β. The LC-MS/MS identified some phenolic compounds, mainly apigenin, catechin, and myricetin, and the GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 19 volatile compounds with triazole, D-glucose, hydroxyphenyl, and D-Ribofuranose as the major compounds. The HE and LOP extracts showed significant decreases in abdominal writhes, and the higher licking time of the paw (57.67%) was observed using the LOP extract at 200 mg/kg. Moreover, both extracts showed high healing percentages, i.e., 99.31 and 92.88%, compared to the control groups, respectively. The molecular docking showed that myricetin, amentoflavone, apigenin, and catechin are the most active molecules against the three enzyme receptors. This study sheds light on the potential of L. officinalis Chaix as a source of natural products for pharmaceutical applications for analgesic purposes as well as their utility in promoting burn-healing activity.

Inflammatory-associated apoptotic markers: are they the culprit to rheumatoid arthritis pain?

BACKGROUND

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prolonged inflammatory disease resulting from autoimmune reactions that leads to local and systemic bone erosion, joint defects and functional impairment. Although the inflammation is subsided through the prescription of anti-inflammatory therapeutics, the patients persistently complained of sleepless nights due to flare pain. This indicates the possible contribution of other pathways besides inflammation in leading to RA pain. This review aims to uncover the roles and involvement of several inflammatory-associated apoptotic markers in facilitating pain transmission and processing during the pathogenesis of RA.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This narrative review focused on the reports from the previous literature based on the search string of "apoptotic marker AND inflammation AND 'chronic pain' OR 'neuropathic pain' and apoptosis AND 'rheumatoid arthritis' OR arthritis from the databases including Science Direct and Scopus, considering the exclusion criteria of the published abstracts, proceedings or articles on other neuropathic pain types such as painful bowel syndrom, insterstitial cystitis, fibrosis and so on.

RESULTS

Several studies in the literature demonstrate a close association between imbalanced apoptotic regulations and an increased number of synovial fibroblasts and inflammatory cells in RA. Cell death or specific cell survival has been linked with increased central hypersensitivity in various types of chronic and neuropathic pain.

CONCLUSION

The RA-related flare pain is possibly contributed by the abnormal regulation of apoptosis through several inflammatory-related pathways, and further studies need to modulate these pathways for the putative anti-nociceptive benefits.

The crystal structure of (3Z,3′Z)-4,4′-((1,4-phenylenebis(methylene))bis(azanediyl))bis(pent-3-en-2-one), C18H24N2O2

C18H24N2O2, triclinic, P 1 ‾ $‾{1}$ (no. 2), a = 6.088(10)  Å, b = 8.911(14) Å, c = 16.44(3) Å, α = 81.772(17)°, β = 84.683(18)°, γ = 76.045(17)°, V = 855(2) Å3, Z = 4, R gt (F) = 0.0511, wR ref(F 2) = 0.1858, T = 293 K.

Activatable Photoacoustic Probe for In Situ Imaging of Endogenous Carbon Monoxide in the Murine Inflammation Model

Photoacoustic (PA) imaging is an emerging biomedical imaging modality that combines the advantages of optical and ultrasound imaging. Carbon monoxide (CO), which is a vital endogenous cell-signaling molecule in the human body, exerts critical physiological functions such as anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and antiproliferative. The imbalance of CO homeostasis is also associated with numerous diseases. Therefore, it is critically important to noninvasively monitor the steady-state changes of CO in vivo. However, the activatable photoacoustic (PA) probes for detecting CO-associated complicated diseases have not yet developed. In this work, we developed the first turn-on PA probe (MTR-CO) to visualize the CO level in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute inflammation murine model through PA imaging technology. MTR-CO is composed of a near-infrared absorption cyanine-like dye (MTR-OH) and allyl formate, showing a 10.2-fold PA signal enhancement at 690 nm upon activation by CO. Furthermore, the results revealed that MTR-CO has high sensitivity, excellent specificity, and good biocompatibility for CO in vivo. MTR-CO was then applied for PA imaging of CO in cells and for monitoring the development of acute inflammation in the murine model by tracking the changes of the CO level. These findings provide a promising strategy for accurately detecting the steady-state changes of CO in living organisms.

The crystal structure of (Z)-3-((2-(2-(2-aminophenoxy)ethoxy)phenyl)amino)-1-phenylbut-2-en-1-one, C24H24N2O3

C24H24N2O3, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 13.674(3) Å, b = 7.3900(14) Å, c = 20.862(4) Å, β = 106.728(7)°, V = 2018.9(7) Å3, Z = 4, R gt (F) = 0.0633, wR ref (F 2) = 0.1804, T = 293 K.

Explorations on the electronic structure and spectroscopic IR assignments of 5-methyl-2-(2-oxopropyl)-pyrazolo[5,1-b]quinazolin-9(3H)-one molecule

In the present work, theoretical investigations on a quinazoline derivate, 5-methyl-2-(2-oxopropyl)pyrazolo[5,1-b]quinazolin-9(3H)-one, have been carried out through quantum mechanical density functional B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) method to explore its electronic structure and vibrational features. The normal modes analysis was executed to predict the contributions of different vibrational modes at the required frequencies in the infrared region and the spectral peaks have been assigned accordingly. Besides, certain electronic properties that are associated with chemical reactivity like, HOMO-LUMO energy gap, molecular electrostatic potential, Mulliken partial charges, etc have been estimated and discussed herein. It has been established that the molecule is chemically reactive and may be used in designing drugs as COX-2/5-LOX inhibitor.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of new pyrazoloquinazoline derivatives as dual COX-2/5-LOX inhibitors

A new series of pyrazoloquinazoline derivatives equipped with different chalcones was designed, synthesized, and identified through ¹ H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ¹³ C NMR, and infrared spectroscopic techniques. Our design strategy of the quinazolinone-privileged scaffold as a new scaffold was based on merging pharmacophores previously reported to exhibit cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)/5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) inhibitory activity. All the newly synthesized derivatives were biologically evaluated for COX and 5-LOX inhibitory activity and COX-2 selectivity, using celecoxib and zileuton as reference drugs, as they exhibited promising anti-inflammatory activity. Compound 3j was found to be the most promising derivative, with IC₅₀ values of 667 and 47 nM against COX-1 and COX-2, respectively, which are superior to that of celecoxib (IC₅₀ value against COX-2 = 95 nM), showing an SI of 14.2 that was much better than celecoxib. Compounds 3f and 3h exhibited COX-1 inhibition, with IC₅₀ values of 1,485 and 684 nM, respectively. The synthesized compounds showed a significant inhibitory activity against 5-LOX, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.6 to 4.3 µM, where compounds 3f and 3h were found to be the most potent derivatives, with IC₅₀ values of 0.6 and 1.0 µM, respectively, in comparison with that of zileuton (IC₅₀  = 0.8 µM). These promising derivatives, 3f, 3h, and 3j, were further investigated in vivo for anti-inflammatory, gastric ulcerogenic effects, and prostaglandin production (PGE2) in rat serum. The molecular docking studies concerning the binding sites of COX-2 and 5-LOX revealed similar orientation, compared with reported inhibitors, which encouraged us to design new leads targeting COX-2 and 5-LOX as dual inhibitors, as a new avenue in anti-inflammatory therapy.

Computational and pharmacological investigation of novel 1,5-diaryl-1,4-pentadien-3-one derivatives for analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anticancer potential

Objective(s):

The novel 1,5-diaryl-1,4-pentadien-3-one derivatives were studied for analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anticancer potential to establish their role in pain, inflammatory disorders and cancer.

Materials and Methods:

Two 1,5- diaryl-1,4-pentadien-3-one derivatives: (1E,4E)- 5-(4-fluoro phenyl)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)- 2-methylpenta-1,4-dien-3-one (A2K2A17) and (1E,4E)-5-(4-nitrophenyl)-1-(4-nitrophenyl)-2-ethylhexa-1,4-dien-3-one (A11K3A11) were synthesized and characterized via 1H NMR and 13C NMR techniques. Molecular docking, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anticancer activities were performed using Auto Doc Vina, carrageenan mediated paw edema and formalin induced chronic inflammation, acetic acid induced writhings and hotplate assay and brine-shrimp lethality assay.

Results:

A2K2A17 and A11K3A11 showed high computational affinities (binding energy > -9.0 Kcal/mol) against COX-1, kappa receptor and braf kinase domain. A2K2A17 and A11K3A11 exhibited moderate docking affinities (binding energy > -8.0 Kcal/mol) against COX-2, human capsaicin receptor, tumor necrosis factor, lipoxygenase, colony stimulating factor, delta receptor, cyclin dependent protein kinase-2, mitogen activated kinase, mu receptor and kit kinase domain. A2K2A17 and A11K3A11 possess low docking affinities (binding energy > -7.0 Kcal/mol) against purinoceptor, platelets-derived growth Factor-1 and vascular-endothelial growth factor. In analgesic activity, A2K2A17 (1-30 mg/kg) and A11K3A11 (1-10 mg/kg) decreased acetic acid induced writhes and prolonged the latency time (P<0.01, P<0.001 vs saline group) respectively. A2K2A17 (10-30 mg/kg) and A11K3A11 (1-10 mg/kg) reduced carrageenan as well as formalin mediated edema (P<0.01, P<0.001). A2K2A17 found effective for cytotoxicity assay with LC₅₀ value 1.5 µg/ml.

Conclusion:

The in silico, in vitro and in vivo studies on A2K2A17 and A11K3A11 reports their computational binding affinities against targets as well as the analgesic, anti-inflammatory and the anticancer effects.

Safer anti-inflammatory therapy through dual COX-2/5-LOX inhibitors: A structure-based approach

Inflammatory mediators of the arachidonic acid cascade from cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) pathways are primarily responsible for many diseases in human beings. Chronic inflammation is associated with the pathogenesis and progression of cancer, arthritis, autoimmune, cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (tNSAIDs) inhibit cyclooxygenase pathway non-selectively and produce gastric mucosal damage due to COX-1 inhibition and allergic reactions and bronchospasm resulting from increased leukotriene levels. 'Coxibs' which are selective COX-2 inhibitors cause adverse cardiovascular events. Inhibition of any of these biosynthetic pathways could switch the metabolism to the other, which can lead to fatal side effects. Hence, there is undoubtedly an urgent need for new anti-inflammatory agents having dual mechanism that prevent release of both prostaglandins and leukotrienes. Though several molecules have been synthesized with this objective, their unfavourable toxicity profile prevented them from being used in clinics. Here, this integrative review attempts to identify the promising pharmacophore that serves as dual inhibitors of COX-2/5-LOX enzymes with improved safety profile. A better acquaintance of structural features that balance safety and efficacy of dual inhibitors would be a different approach to the process of understanding and interpreting the designing of novel anti-inflammatory agents.

Leaves and stem bark from Allophylus africanus P. Beauv.: An approach to anti-inflammatory properties and characterization of their flavonoid profile

The small tree Allophylus africanus, widespread in the African continent, has long been considered valuable, as noted by the number of reports on their multiple medicinal uses. With this work, we aimed to extend the current, and so far restricted, knowledge on the chemical composition of the plant, particularly as source of flavonoids, as well as to assess its potential anti-inflammatory properties. The chemical characterization of the aqueous extract obtained from the leaves allowed the identification and quantitation of 30 flavones, predominantly apigenin derivatives, but also four luteolin derivatives, while the stem bark extract was solely characterized by apigenin di-C-glycosides and mono-C-glycosides-O-glycosylated. Strong inhibitory effects towards 5-lipoxygenase were observed with the aqueous extracts obtained from the leaves and stem bark, with IC₅₀ values of 41.28 and 107.77 μg mL^-1, respectively. Both extracts were also found to reduce NO levels in LPS-challenged RAW 264.7 macrophages, without noticeable cytotoxicity. The flavonoid profile of the plant is disclosed for the first time, allowing the identification of several molecules that may contribute to mitigate the inflammatory response. Jointly, with the current study the anti-inflammatory use of the leaves and stem bark is partially validated.

Upregulation of Melanogenesis and Tyrosinase Activity: Potential Agents for Vitiligo

Melanin, the compound primarily responsible in humans for hair, eye and skin pigmentation, is produced by melanocytes through a complicated process called melanogenesis that is catalyzed by tyrosinase and other tyrosinase-related proteins. The abnormal loss of melanin causes dermatological problems such as vitiligo. Hence the regulation of melanogenesis and tyrosinase activity is very important for treating hypopigmentary disorders. Many melanogenesis stimulators have been discovered during the past decade. This article reviews recent advances in research on extracts and active ingredients of plants, synthesized compounds with stimulating effect on melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity, as well as their influence on the expression of related proteins and possible signaling pathways for the design and development of novel anti-vitiligo agents.

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Therapy: A Journey Toward Safety

The efficacy of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) against inflammation, pain, and fever has been supporting their worldwide use in the treatment of painful conditions and chronic inflammatory diseases until today. However, the long-term therapy with NSAIDs was soon associated with high incidences of adverse events in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, the search for novel drugs with improved safety has begun with COX-2 selective inhibitors (coxibs) being straightaway developed and commercialized. Nevertheless, the excitement has fast turned to disappointment when diverse coxibs were withdrawn from the market due to cardiovascular toxicity. Such events have once again triggered the emergence of different strategies to overcome NSAIDs toxicity. Here, an integrative review is provided to address the breakthroughs of two main approaches: (i) the association of NSAIDs with protective mediators and (ii) the design of novel compounds to target downstream and/or multiple enzymes of the arachidonic acid cascade. To date, just one phosphatidylcholine-associated NSAID has already been approved for commercialization. Nevertheless, the preclinical and clinical data obtained so far indicate that both strategies may improve the safety of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory therapy.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of some N-arylpyrazoles and pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyridazines as anti-inflammatory agents

A series of 3,4-bis-chalcone-N-arylpyrazoles 3a-k was prepared from diacetyl pyrazoles 2a-e. The reaction of 2d and 2e with hydrazine hydrate gave pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyridazine derivatives 4a-b. Furthermore, the reaction of 2a-e with thiosemicarbazide afforded pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyridazine thiocyanate salts 5a-e. The synthesized compounds were subjected to in vivo anti-inflammatory and ulcerogenic activity measurements, in addition to determination of their in vitro COX selectivity, to give a full profile about their anti-inflammatory activities. Compounds 3c, 3f, 3i, and 3e showed significant anti-inflammatory activity among the synthesized compounds. Moreover, docking studies were performed to give an explanation for their anti-inflammatory activity through COX selectivity.

Evaluation of antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory activities of methanol extract and its fractions from the Mediterranean sponge

BACKGROUND

Without doubt, natural products have been, and still are, the cornerstone of the health care armamentarium. Of all natural sources, the marine environment is clearly the last great frontier for pharmaceutical and medical research.

METHODS

This work progresses in the direction of identifying component(s) from the Mediterranean sponge, Spongia officinalis with pharmacological activities. In the present study we investigated the efficacy of methanol extract and its semi-purified fractions (F2, F3) from Spongia officinalis for their in vivo anti-inflammatory activity using the carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats and their in vitro antiproliferative effects by their potential cytotoxic activity using the MTT colorimetric method and clonogenic inhibition against three human cancer cell lines (A549, lung cell carcinoma, HCT15, colon cell carcinoma and MCF7, breast adenocarcinoma).

RESULTS

The fractions F2 and F3 showed interesting anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activities in a dose dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study indicates that the methanolic extrac and its fractions from Spongia officinalis are a significant source of compounds with the antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory activities, and this may be useful for developing potential chemopreventive substances.

Evaluation of new chalcone derivatives as polyphenol oxidase inhibitors

A newly series of 4-(phenylurenyl)chalcone (4a-j) and 4'-(phenylurenyl/thiourenyl)chalcone (9a-l) derivatives were synthesized and their inhibitory effects on the diphenolase activity of banana tyrosinase were evaluated. Tyrosinase has been purified from banana on an affinity gel comprised of Sepharose 4B-l-tyrosine-p-aminobenzoic acid. The result showed that 4a-j inhibited the PPO enzyme activity. Conversely, 9a-h and 9i-l showed activator effect on tyrosinase enzyme activity.

Control of experimental pulmonary tuberculosis depends more on immunostimulatory leukotrienes than on the absence of immunosuppressive prostaglandins

Prostaglandins (PGs) and leukotrienes (LTs) are produced in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-infected lungs and have immune suppressive and protective effects, respectively. Considering that both of these mediators are produced during mycobacterial infection, we investigated the specific and relative biological importance of each in regulating host response in experimental tuberculosis. Administration of celecoxib, which was found to reduce lung levels of PGE(2) and increase LTB(4), enhanced the 60-day survival of Mtb-infected mice in 14%. However administration of MK-886, which reduced levels of LTB(4) but did not enhance PGE(2), reduced 60-day survival from 86% to 43% in Mtb-infected mice, and increased lung bacterial burden. MK-886 plus celecoxib reduced survival to a lesser extent than MK-886 alone. MK-886- and MK-886 plus celecoxib-treated animals exhibited reduced levels of the protective interleukin-12 and gamma-interferon. Our findings indicate that in this model, the protective effect of LTs dominates over the suppressive effect of PGs.

Herbal medicinal products target defined biochemical and molecular mediators of inflammatory autoimmune arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic debilitating disease characterized by synovial inflammation, damage to cartilage and bone, and deformities of the joints. Several drugs possessing anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties are being used in the conventional (allopathic) system of medicine to treat RA. However, the long-term use of these drugs is associated with harmful side effects. Therefore, newer drugs with low or no toxicity for the treatment of RA are actively being sought. Interestingly, several herbs demonstrate anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic activity. In this review, we describe the role of the major biochemical and molecular mediators in the pathogenesis of RA, and highlight the sites of action of herbal medicinal products that have anti-arthritic activity. With the rapidly increasing use of CAM products by patients with RA and other inflammation-related disorders, our review presents timely information validating the scientific rationale for the use of natural therapeutic products.

Synthesis of new 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives for analgesic and anti-inflammatory evaluation

Starting from isatoic anhydrides, several new 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives bearing chalcone or pyrazole or thiazole moieties at the third position were synthesized. The analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities for most compounds were studied at a dose level of 50 mg/kg via the acetic-acid-induced writhing-response method and carrageenan-induced edema method, respectively. The study showed that the chalcones bearing a 4-chlorophenyl group 4c or 4-nitrophenyl group 4b were the most active ones as analgesics. Both chalcone 4c and N-phenyl pyrazole bearing 4-methoxy phenyl group 5b showed a higher anti-inflammatory activity than celecoxib but still lower than that of diclofenac sodium. Moreover, the chalcone 4c has nearly the same ulcerogenic index as the selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor celecoxib.

Inhibition of lipoxygenases and cyclooxygenases by linoleyl hydroxamic acid: comparative in vitro studies

In this first comparative in vitro study, linoleyl hydroxamic acid (LHA), a simple and stable derivative of linoleic acid, was tested as an inhibitor of several enzymes involved in arachidonic acid metabolism in mammals. The tested enzymes were human recombinant 5-lipoxygenase (h5-LO), porcine leukocyte 12-LO, rabbit reticulocyte 15-LO, ovine cyclooxygenases 1/2 (COX1/COX2), and human microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1). Potato tuber and soybean lipoxygenases (ptLOX and sLOX, respectively) were studied for comparative purposes. LHA inhibited most of the tested enzymes with the exception of mPGES-1. The LHA inhibitory activity increased as follows: mPGES-1 (no inhibition)<<COX1 = COX2<h5-LO = sLOX = ptLOX<12-LO<<15-LO. The IC(50) values for COX1/COX2, h5-LO, 12-LO, and 15-LO were 60, 7, 0.6, and 0.02 muM, respectively. sLOX was the only tested enzyme that was capable of aerobic oxygenation of LHA, producing 13-hydroperoxy-LHA. The enzyme rapidly inactivated during the reaction. Therefore, LHA could be used as an effective LO/LOX inhibitor without affecting COX1/COX2 and mPGES-1. Possible implications of this observation include treating diseases and pathological states that are caused by (or lead to) hyperproduction of LO-derived metabolites, e.g., inflammation, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, asthma, allergies, psoriasis, and stroke.