Analgesic activity of some aroylhydrazone-based molecular hybrids with antiseizure activity: in vivo and in silico evaluations

We have recently identified several aroylhydrazone-based molecular hybrids with antiseizure activity. We aimed to investigate the analgesic activity of these molecules further. Male ICR mice were injected intraperitoneally with the tested substances or with the vehicle only (controls). We performed hot plate tests, formalin test and maximal electroshock (MES) test and further studied the cytokine proteome in the brain. In silico analysis was performed for prediction of the physicochemical parameters and activity. The furan-substituted aroylhydrazone-based 2H-chromene hybrid showed a significant increase of the latent time as compared with the baseline values (p < .05). Both the chlorine-substituted and the methyl-substituted aroylhydrazone-based coumarin derivatives significantly decreased the first phase of the formalin test (p < .05). We also found suppression of all the cytokines which were overexpressed in the model of acute seizures (MES test) and in the formalin paw test. The in silico model predicted hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A synthetase 2 (HMGCS2) enhancer activity. Further testing is needed to confirm the mechanism of the potentially beneficial effects of the tested substances and to evaluate the toxicity and efficacy of the proposed molecules.