Rutin-chitooligosaccharide complex: Comprehensive evaluation of its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties in vitro and in vivo.

Abstract

This study investigated the potential anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of the rutin-chitooligosaccharide (R-COS) complex both in vitro and in vivo. Initially, the cytotoxicity of R-COS was assessed in RAW 264.7 cells using an MTT assay. Subsequently, an inflammatory study was conducted where R-COS demonstrated a significant reduction in various pro-inflammatory factors (nitric oxide [NO], prostaglandin E2, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, interleukin-1, inducible nitric oxide synthase [iNOS], and cyclooxygenase [COX-2]) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells without compromising cell viability. Furthermore, in vivo analysis showcased the protective effect of R-COS on zebrafish embryos exposed to inflammatory stress induced by LPS. R-COS exhibited inhibition against pro-inflammatory factors, specifically COX-2 and iNOS. Notably, R-COS played a modulatory role in calcitonin gene-related peptide and NO levels in zebrafish, reducing the expression of pro-inflammatory factors. Additionally, the study observed analgesic activity in zebrafish treated with R-COS, which mitigated pain-like behavior triggered by acetic acid. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of R-COS, derived from chitosan, as a promising anti-inflammatory agent with broad applications in healthcare and tissue engineering.