4-Phenylselenyl-7-chloroquinoline, a new quinoline derivative containing selenium, has potential antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory actions

The development of new drugs to treat painful and inflammatory clinical conditions continues to be of great interest. The present study evaluated the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of 4-phenylselenyl-7-chloroquinoline (4-PSQ). Mice were orally (p.o.) pretreated with 4-PSQ (0.1–25 mg/kg), meloxicam (25 mg/kg, a reference drug) or vehicle, 30 min prior to the acetic acid, formalin, hot-plate and open-field tests. 4-PSQ reduced abdominal writhing induced by acetic acid and it caused an increase in latency time in the hot-plate test. 4-PSQ inhibited early and late phases of nociception and reduced the paw edema caused by formalin. Locomotor and exploratory activities in the open field test were not altered by treatments. In addition, a time–response curve was carried out by administration of 4-PSQ (25 mg/kg; p.o.) at different times before the acetic acid injection. The antinociceptive effect in inhibiting acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing of 4-PSQ started at 0.5 h and remained significant up to 4 h after administration. Indeed, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of 4-PSQ were investigated. 4-PSQ diminished the edema formation and decreased the myeloperoxidase activity and reactive species levels induced by croton oil in the ear tissue. 4-PSQ partially protected against the decrease of the 2,2′-Azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline 6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) levels induced by croton oil. Meloxicam presented similar results for 4-PSQ in tests evaluated. These results demonstrated that 4-PSQ exerts acute anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive actions, suggesting that it may represent an alternative in the development of future new therapeutic strategies.

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