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.
Keywords: Cartilage damage; Joint degeneration; Molecular docking; New drug candidates.