Biological and Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Maranhão, Av. dos Portugueses 1966, São Luís, MA, 65085-580, Brazil.
Hospital Universitário Presidente Dutra, HUPD, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil.
Inflammopharmacology. 2021 Jun;29(3):735-752. doi: 10.1007/s10787-021-00803-0. Epub 2021 Apr 21.
This study aims to investigate the activity of n-hexane, ethyl acetate and butanol fractions obtained from Arrabidaea chica Verlot against MIA-induced osteoarthritis (OA). The antinociceptive potentials of each fraction were evaluated through a cyclooxygenase (COX) 1 and 2 inhibition test and an in vivo OA-model. In addition, toxicity assessments in the liver, spleen and kidney, as well as radiographic and histopathological knee analyses, were performed. The chemical composition of the n-hexane fraction was elucidated, and a molecular docking protocol was carried out to identify which compounds are associated with the detected bioactivity. The n-hexane A. chica fraction preferentially inhibits COX-2, with 90% inhibition observed at 10 µg/mL. The fractions also produced significant improvements in OA incapacity, motor activity and hyperalgesia parameters and in radiological knee conditions. However, concerning the histopathological evaluations, these improvements were only significant in the hexane and ethyl acetate fraction treatments, which resulted in better average scores, suggesting that these fractions slow OA-promoted joint injury progression. Histopathological organ analyses indicate that the fractions are not toxic to animals. Twenty compounds were identified in the n-hexane fraction, comprising fatty acids, terpenes and phytosterols. In silico analyses indicate the presence of favourable interactions between some of the identified compounds and the COX-2 enzyme, mainly concerning alpha-tocopherol (Vitamin E), squalene and beta-sitosterol. The findings indicate that A. chica fractions display analgesic, anti-inflammatory properties, are non-toxic and are able to slow OA progression, and may, therefore, be prioritized as natural products in OA human clinical trials.
本研究旨在探讨从 Arrabidaea chica Verlot 中获得的正己烷、乙酸乙酯和正丁醇级分对 MIA 诱导的骨关节炎 (OA) 的活性。通过环氧化酶 (COX) 1 和 2 抑制试验和体内 OA 模型评估各部分的镇痛潜力。此外,还对肝脏、脾脏和肾脏进行了毒性评估,并对膝关节进行了放射学和组织病理学分析。阐明了正己烷级分的化学成分,并进行了分子对接方案,以确定与检测到的生物活性相关的化合物。正己烷 A. chica 级分优先抑制 COX-2,在 10μg/mL 时观察到 90%的抑制率。这些级分还显著改善了 OA 能力丧失、运动活动和痛觉过敏参数以及放射学膝关节状况。然而,就组织病理学评估而言,这些改善仅在正己烷和乙酸乙酯级分治疗中显著,这导致了更好的平均评分,表明这些级分减缓了 OA 促进的关节损伤进展。组织病理学器官分析表明,这些级分对动物没有毒性。在正己烷级分中鉴定出 20 种化合物,包括脂肪酸、萜烯和植物甾醇。计算机分析表明,一些鉴定出的化合物与 COX-2 酶之间存在有利的相互作用,主要涉及 α-生育酚(维生素 E)、角鲨烯和β-谷甾醇。研究结果表明,A. chica 级分具有镇痛、抗炎特性,无毒性,能够减缓 OA 进展,因此可能被优先考虑作为 OA 临床试验中的天然产物。