Long-Lasting Anti-Inflammatory and Antinociceptive Effects of Acute Ammonium Glycyrrhizinate Administration: Pharmacological, Biochemical, and Docking Studies

The object of the study was to estimate the long-lasting effects induced by ammonium glycyrrhizinate (AG) after a single administration in mice using animal models of pain and inflammation together with biochemical and docking studies. A single intraperitoneal injection of AG was able to produce anti-inflammatory effects in zymosan-induced paw edema and peritonitis. Moreover, in several animal models of pain, such as the writhing test, the formalin test, and hyperalgesia induced by zymosan, AG administered 24 h before the tests was able to induce a strong antinociceptive effect. Molecular docking studies revealed that AG possesses higher affinity for microsomal prostaglandin E synthase type-2 compared to type-1, whereas it seems to locate better in the binding pocket of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 compared to COX-1. These results demonstrated that AG induced anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects until 24–48 h after a single administration thanks to its ability to bind the COX/mPGEs pathway. Taken together, all these findings highlight the potential use of AG for clinical treatment of pain and/or inflammatory-related diseases.