PLoS ONE (Jan 2021)

Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of hydrazone derivatives and their possible mechanism of action in mice.

  • Maria Alice Miranda Bezerra Medeiros,
  • Mariana Gama E Silva,
  • Jackson de Menezes Barbosa,
  • Érica Martins de Lavor,
  • Tiago Feitosa Ribeiro,
  • Cícero André Ferreira Macedo,
  • Luiz Antonio Miranda de Souza Duarte-Filho,
  • Thiala Alves Feitosa,
  • Jussara de Jesus Silva,
  • Harold Hilarion Fokoue,
  • Cleônia Roberta Melo Araújo,
  • Arlan de Assis Gonsalves,
  • Luciano Augusto de Araújo Ribeiro,
  • Jackson Roberto Guedes da Silva Almeida

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258094
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 11
p. e0258094

Abstract

Read online

Pain and inflammation are unpleasant experiences that usually occur as a result of tissue damage. Despite the number of existing analgesic drugs, side effects limit their use, stimulating the search for new therapeutic agents. In this sense, five hydrazone derivatives (H1, H2, H3, H4, and H5), with general structure R1R2C = NNR3R4, were synthesized with molecular modification strategies. In this paper, we describe the ability of hydrazone derivatives to attenuate nociceptive behavior and the inflammatory response in mice. Antinociceptive activity was evaluated through acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin-induced nociception tests. In both experimental models, the hydrazone with the greatest potency (H5) significantly (p < 0.05) reduced nociceptive behavior. Additionally, methods of acute and chronic inflammation induced by different chemicals (carrageenan and histamine) were performed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of H5. Moreover, molecular docking analysis revealed that H5 can block the COX-2 enzyme, reducing arachidonic acid metabolism and consequently decreasing the production of prostaglandins, which are important inflammatory mediators. H5 also changes locomotor activity. In summary, H5 exhibited relevant antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory potential and acted on several targets, making it a candidate for a new multi-target oral anti-inflammatory drug.