Palladium(II)-η3-Allyl Complexes Bearing N-Trifluoromethyl N-Heterocyclic Carbenes: A New Generation of Anticancer Agents that Restrain the Growth of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Tumoroids

The first palladium organometallic compounds bearing N-trifluoromethyl N-heterocyclic carbenes have been synthesized. These η³-allyl complexes are potent antiproliferative agents against different cancer lines (for the most part, IC₅₀ values fall in the range 0.02–0.5 μm ). By choosing 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane (PTA) as co-ligand, we can improve the selectivity toward tumor cells, whereas the introduction of 2-methyl substituents generally reduces the antitumor activity slightly. A series of biochemical assays, aimed at defining the cellular targets of these palladium complexes, has shown that mitochondria are damaged before DNA, thus revealing a behavior substantially different from that of cisplatin and its derivatives. We assume that the specific mechanism of action of these organometallic compounds involves nucleophilic attack on the η³-allyl fragment. The effectiveness of a representative complex, 4 c , was verified on ovarian cancer tumoroids derived from patients. The results are promising: unlike carboplatin, our compound turned out to be very active and showed a low toxicity toward normal liver organoids.     

A new series of titanocene dichloride derivatives bearing cyclic alkylammonium groups: Assessment of their cytotoxic properties

Ten new water soluble titanocene dichloride derivatives have been synthesized and characterized and their cytotoxicities against the human lung cancer cell line A549 have been assessed. The potencies of the compounds vary greatly, but dicationic 3-picolylium and 4-picolylium compounds exhibit IC₅₀ values that are unusually low for this class of compounds. In view of their potency against A549 cells, three of the new complexes were tested further on additional human cell lines including the small cell lung cancer cell line H69, the widely used cervical carcinoma cell line HeLa, the ovarian carcinoma cell line A2780 and its cisplatin resistant derivative A2780/CP. All three compounds exhibited potencies in all cell lines comparable to or better than those observed with the A549 cells, while one complex is actually more potent than cisplatin for HeLa cells.     

Biological and Catalytic Applications of Pd(II)-Indenyl Complexes Bearing Phosphine and N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands

A general synthetic entryway into novel cationic Pd(II) indenyl complexes bearing one alkyl/aryl phosphine and one N-heterocyclic carbene is reported. All metal complexes have been exhaustively characterized by spectroscopic and structural analyses, highlighting that the indenyl fragment has an hapticity intermediate between η³ and η⁵. Most of the target complexes are stable in solid state and in solution for a long time. Two different applications of these organopalladium compounds are proposed. Firstly, they have been tested as antiproliferative agents towards three different ovarian cancer cell lines, showing a cytotoxicity significantly higher than that of cisplatin, with a clear dependence on the nature of the coordinated phosphine. Moreover, the similar cytotoxicity towards cisplatin-sensitive and cisplatin-resistant cell lines suggests that these new palladium derivatives act with a different mechanism of action with respect to classical platinum-based drugs. Finally, the water-soluble palladium complexes bearing 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane (PTA) have demonstrated interesting catalytic performances in Suzuki–Miyaura coupling in aqueous media, being, inter alia, readily and efficiently recyclable.     

Binuclear meta‐xylyl‐linked Ag(I)‐N‐heterocyclic carbene complexes of N‐alkyl/aryl‐alkyl‐substituted bis‐benzimidazolium salts: synthesis,crystal structures and in vitro anticancer studies

Salts of meta‐xylyl‐linked N‐ethyl/n‐butyl/benzyl‐substituted bis‐benzimidazolium having hexafluorophosphate counterions have been synthesized. The corresponding binuclear Ag(I)‐N‐heterocyclic carbene complexes were prepared by the reaction of Ag₂O. The N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand precursor 7 and Ag(I)–NHC complexes 10 and 11 have been structurally characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction technique. All of the reported compounds have been tested for their anticancer activity using human colorectal (HCT 116) cancer cell lines. Sterically varied benzimidazolium salts displayed significant activity against HCT 116 cell line, yielding IC₅₀ values in the range 0.1–19.4 µ m , while Ag(I)–carbene complexes showed exceptionally good activity (0.2–1.3 µ m ) against tested cancer cell lines. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis,characterization, and biological activity of new mixed ammine/amine platinum(IV) complexes

A series of mixed ammine/amine platinum(IV) complexes with lipophilic ligands in their axial positions were designed, synthesized, and spectrally characterized. In vitro cytotoxicity evaluation of these complexes and their lead compounds have been carried out against A549, SMMC-7721, MCF-7, and SW480 human cancer cell lines. The introduction of carboxylate ions as leaving group can improve the aqueous solubility and stability of the platinum(II) complexes. The carboxylato ligands and chloride ligands in the axial position markedly increased the lipophilicity and cytotoxicity of compounds C4 and C5. Particularly, compound C5 showed two to eight times higher cytotoxicity than cisplatin and satraplatin against selected cell lines. For its oral activity and no cross-resistance potentiality, C5 is expected to be an antitumor platinum drug candidate. This novel class of platinum compounds represents a valuable lead in the development of new-generation agents capable of demonstrating cytotoxicity superior to that of the clinically established cisplatin.     

Platinum (II) N‐heterocyclic carbene complexes: Synthesis,characterization and cytotoxic properties

Platinum (II) complexes bearing N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands have been widely used in catalytic chemistry, but there are very few reports of biological properties of this type of complexes. A series of [PtCl₂(NHC)(PEt₃)] complexes were synthesized. The structures of all compounds were characterized by ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, IR and elemental analysis techniques, which supported the proposed structures. The single crystal structures of complexes 1a and 1e were determined. The title complexes show slightly distorted square‐planar coordination around the platinum (II) metal center. The cytotoxic properties of the platinum (II)–NHC complexes have been assessed in various human cancer lines, including cisplatin‐sensitive and resistant cells. IC₅₀ values of these four complexes were determined by the MTS‐based assay on three human cell lines—brain (SHSY5Y), colon (HTC116) and liver (HEP3B). These complexes have been highlighted cancer therapeutic agent with unique structures and functions.     

Synthesis and in vitro cytotoxicity of platinum(II) complexes with chiral N-monosubstituted 1,2-cyclohexyldiamine derivatives as the carrier groups

Eight platinum(II) complexes with the new chiral ligands, (1R,2R)-N ¹-(pyridine-2-ylmethyl) cyclohexane-1,2-diamine (R) or (1S,2S)-N ¹-(pyridine-2-ylmethyl) cyclohexane-1,2-diamine (S) as the carrier groups were designed, synthesized, and spectrally characterized. All platinum(II) complexes showed much better aqueous solubility than cisplatin and oxaliplatin. In vitro cytotoxicity of the compounds against human HepG-2, MCF-7, A549, and HCT-116 cell lines was evaluated. Results indicate that all compounds with R as the carrier group showed cytotoxicity against HCT-116, A549, and MCF-7 cell lines; however, all compounds with S as carrier group exhibited disappointing cytotoxicity against tested cell lines. Compound R2, bearing ClCH₂COO^- as leaving group, exhibited better cytotoxicity than that of carboplatin against A549 and MCF-7 cell lines and also showed close activity to oxaliplatin against HCT-116 cell line.     

Antiproliferative Activity of Functionalized Histidine‐derived Au(I) bis‐NHC Complexes for Bioconjugation

A series of histidine derived Au(I) bis‐NHC complexes bearing different ester, amide and carboxylic acid functionalities as well as wingtip substituents is synthesized and characterized. The stability in aqueous media, in vitro cytotoxicity in a set of cancer cell lines (MCF7, PC3 and A2780/A2780cisR) along with the cellular uptake are evaluated. Stability tests suggest hydrolysis of the ester within 8 h, which might lead to deactivation. Furthermore, the bis‐NHC system shows a sufficient stability against cysteine and the thiol containing peptide GSH. The benzyl ester and amide show the highest activity comparable to the benchmark compound cisplatin, with the ester only displaying a slightly lower cytotoxicity than the amide. A cellular uptake study revealed that the benzyl ester and the amide could have different intracellular distribution profiles but both complexes induce perturbations of the cellular physiological processes. The simple modifiability and high stability of the complexes provides a promising system for upcoming post modifications to enable targeted cancer therapy.     

Palladium(II) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes: synthesis,structures and cytotoxicity potential studies against breast cancer cell line

Abstract

Mononuclear trans-Pd(II)–NHC complexes (where NHC?=?N-heterocyclic carbene) bearing asymmetrically substituted NHC-ligand have been synthesized via transmetalation reaction between Ag(I)–NHC complexes and [Pd(NCCH₃)₂Cl₂]. The NHC precursors are accessible in two steps by N-n-alkyl reactions of benzimidazole. The resultant benzimidazolium salts were deprotonated with Ag₂O by in situ deprotonation to facilitate the formation of mononuclear Ag(I)–NHC complexes. Single-crystal structural study for Pd(II)–NHC shows that the palladium(II) ion exhibits a square-planar geometry of two NHC ligands and two chloride ions. The cytotoxicity study was investigated against breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). The Ag(I)–NHC complexes exhibit better activities than their corresponding Pd(II)–NHC complexes, whereas all benzimidazolium salts are inactive toward MCF-7 cancer cell line.     

Synthesis and antitumor activities of novel bis-quinazolin-4(3H)-ones

With the aim of obtaining new antitumor agents, a series of bis-quinazolin-4(3H)-ones ( 3a-3 f ) were designed and synthesized. These products contain 4-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-quinazoline and 3H-quinazolin-4-one moieties linked together via a propyl chain. Cytotoxic activities of 3a-3 f were evaluated against lung adenocarcinoma (A549), breast carcinoma (MCF-7) and ovarian cancer (SKOV3) cell lines using MTT method. Cisplatin was used as a positive control. Among the tested compounds 3a , 3b , and 3e showed the best cytotoxic activities against all cancerous cell lines with IC₅₀ values even less than cisplatin. Compounds 3d and 3f also showed desirable cytotoxic activities especially against A549 and MCF-7.     

Tricarbonylrhenium(I) complexes with the N,6-dimethylpyridine-2-carbothioamide ligand: combined experimental and calculation studies

Abstract

A new series of tricarbonyl complexes of rhenium(I) in the “2 + 1” system with the bidentate ligand N,6-dimethylpyridine-2-carbothioamide ((CH₃)NC₅H₄-CS-NH-CH₃, MeLH(Me)_NS) and a monodentate ligand (halides Cl, Br, or I, and the pseudohalide NCS anion) was synthesized. The use of mixed ligands led to the formation of neutral tricarbonylrhenium(I) complexes [Re(CO)₃(MeLH(Me)_NS)X] (X = Cl, Br, I, NCS) (1–4). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction was used to determine the crystal structures of all four compounds and those results were compared with molecular structures obtained from DFT calculations using the PBE0/def2-TZVPD approach. The complexes were also characterized by spectroscopic (FT-IR, NMR, and UV–vis) and analytical (HPLC, TGA, EA, ESI-MS) techniques. IR and UV–vis spectra were also calculated by DFT and TD-DFT methods. The cytotoxicity of these complexes was estimated using human ovarian cancer cell lines (A2780 and A2780cis), cervical cancer cells (HeLa), and non-cancerous human embryonic kidney cells (Hek-293). The toxicity of most complexes was moderate or low toward cancer cell lines (IC₅₀ = 46–231 μM) and similar against non-cancerous cells (IC₅₀ = 41-121 μM). Only the complex with chlorido ligand remarkably inhibited growth of ovarian cancer cells (IC₅₀ = 3 and 12 μM for A2780 and A2780cis, respectively). The cytotoxicity of 1 was higher than that of cisplatin.     

Ruthenium tetrazene complexes bearing glucose moieties on their periphery: Synthesis,characterization, and in vitro cytotoxicity

Ruthenium tetrazene complexes with general formula [Cp*RuCl(1,4-R₂N₄)] (Cp* = η⁵-C₅Me₅), where R = benzyl ( 1 ), 2-fluorobenzyl ( 2 ), β-d -glucopyranosyl-unprotected ( 3a ) and acyl-protected ( 3b – d ), 2-acetamido-β-d -glucopyranosyl-unprotected ( 4a ) and acyl-protected ( 4b – d ), propyl-β-d -glucopyranoside-unprotected ( 5a ), and O-acetylated ( 5b ), were synthesized and characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance and electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry. In addition, the molecular structure of 3b was determined using X-ray crystallography. The cytotoxicity of complexes against ovarian (A2780, SK-OV-3) and breast (MDA-MB-231) cancer cell lines and noncancerous cell line HEK-293 was evaluated and compared to cisplatin activity. The carbohydrate-modified complexes bearing acyl-protecting groups exhibited higher efficacy (in low micromolar range) than unprotected ones, where the most active 4d was superior to cisplatin up to five times against all investigated cancer cell lines; however, no significant selectivity was achieved. The complex induced apoptotic cell death at low micromolar concentrations (0.5 μM for A2780 and HEK293; 2 μM for SK-OV-3 and MDA-MB-231).     

Palladium complexes of bidentate pyridine N‐heterocyclic carbenes: Optical resolution,antimicrobial and cytotoxicity studies

A series of bidentate pyridine‐functionalized palladium N‐heterocyclic carbene (Pd NHC) complexes with various wingtip substituents (R = methyl, phenyl and tert‐butyl) have been synthesized and evaluated for their potential biomedical applications as antimicrobials and antiproliferative drug candidates. The obtained Pd NHC complexes were applied in a standard broth microdilution assay for determination of their antimicrobial activities against thirteen strains of pathogenic microorganisms. In addition to that, cytotoxic activities of the Pd NHC complexes were also evaluated against three human cancer cell lines, namely breast (MCF‐7), colon (HCT116) and oral (H103) cancer cells, using a standard MTT assay. Upon coordination to palladium, the Pd NHC complexes show significant antimicrobial activities with minimum inhibitory concentrations in the micromolar range, and they are cytotoxic to the tested carcinomas with IC₅₀ ranging from 13 to 38 μM. Evidences for influence of both wingtip substituents and optical isomerism on the biological activities of the complexes have been found.     

The first water‐soluble copper(I) complexes bearing sulfonated imidazole‐ and benzimidazole‐derived N‐heterocyclic carbenes: Synthesis and anticancer studies

The first water‐soluble bis(NHC^SO3)CuCl complexes (NHC^SO3 = NaIm^Bn,PrSO3, Na₂(4‐Me)Im^PrSO3 and Na₂BzIm^PrSO3) derived from the sulfonated N‐heterocyclic carbene precursors HIm^Bn,PrSO3 (3‐(1‐benzyl‐1H‐imidazol‐3‐ium‐3‐yl)propane‐1‐sulfonate), Na(4‐Me)HIm^PrSO3 (sodium 3,3′‐(4‐methyl‐1H‐imidazole‐3‐ium‐1,3‐diyl)dipropane‐1‐sulfonate) and NaHBzIm^PrSO3 (sodium 3,3′‐(1H‐benzoimidazole‐3‐ium‐1,3‐diyl)dipropane‐1‐sulfonate) have been synthesized. These compounds have been characterized using infrared and NMR spectroscopy and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The in vitro anti‐tumour effects of the bis(NHC^SO3)CuCl complexes and the corresponding free ligands were evaluated for a panel of various human tumour cell lines, including examples of lung, colon, ovarian and cervical carcinoma as well as of melanoma. Their cytotoxic properties were also evaluated against non‐transformed human cells and on a cellular model of cisplatin resistance. NHC–copper complexes induced cell killing effects preferentially against tumour cells, with IC₅₀ values in the micromolar range. Additionally, they were found able to overcome acquired cisplatin resistance.     

Synthesis,characterization and cytotoxicity of Pt(II), Pd(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes with 4’‐substituted terpyridine

Eight novel Pt(II), Pd(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes with 4’‐substituted terpyridine were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, UV, IR, NMR, electron paramagnetic resonance, high‐resolution mass spectrometry and molar conductivity measurements. The cytotoxicity of these complexes against HL‐60, BGC‐823, KB and Bel‐7402 cell lines was evaluated by MTT assay. All the complexes displayed cytotoxicity with low IC₅₀ values (<20 μm ) and showed selectivity. Complexes 3 , 5 , 7 and 8 exerted 9‐, 5‐, 12‐ and 7‐fold higher cytotoxicity than cisplatin against Bel‐7402 cell line. The cytotoxicity of complexes 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 and 8 was higher than that of cisplatin against BGC‐823 cell line. Complexes 3 , 7 and 8 showed similar cytotoxicity to cisplatin against KB cell line. Complex 7 exhibited higher cytotoxicity than cisplatin against HL‐60 cell line. Among these complexes, complex 7 demonstrated the highest in vitro cytotoxicity, with IC₅₀ values of 1.62, 3.59, 2.28 and 0.63 μm against HL‐60, BGC‐823, Bel‐7402 and KB cells lines, respectively. The results suggest that the cytotoxicity of these complexes is related to the nature of the terminal group of the ligand, the metal center and the leaving groups. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New Organometallic Ruthenium(II) Compounds Synergistically Show Cytotoxic,Antimetastatic and Antiangiogenic Activities for the Treatment of Metastatic Cancer

In this study, we newly designed and synthesized a small library of ten structurally related C,N-cyclometalated ruthenium(II) complexes containing various pyridine-functionalized NHC ligand and chelating bipyridyl ligands (e.g., 2,2′-bipyridine, 5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine, and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen)). The complexes were well characterized by NMR, electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray structure analyses. Among the new ruthenium(II) derivatives, we identified that the complex Ru8 bearing bulky moieties (i.e., phen and pentamethyl benzene) had the most potent cytotoxicity against all tested cancer cell lines, generating dose- and cell line-dependent IC₅₀ values at the range of 3.3–15.0 μm . More significantly, Ru8 not only efficiently inhibited the metastasis process against invasion and migration of tumor cells but also exhibited potent antivascular effects by suppressing HUVEC cells migration and tube formation in vitro and blocking vessel generation in vivo (chicken chorioallantoic membrane model). In a metastatic A2780 tumor xenograft-bearing mouse model, administration of Ru8 outperformed antimetastatic agent NAMI-A and clinically approved cisplatin in terms of antitumor efficacy and inhibition of metastases to other organs. Overall, these data provided compelling evidence that the new cyclometalated ruthenium complex Ru8 is an attractive agent because of synergistically suppressing bulky tumors and metastasized tumor nudes. Therefore, the complex Ru8 deserves further investigations.     

Synthesis,cytotoxicity, and interaction with DNA of platinum(II) complexes of (1R,2R)-N1-2-amyl-1,2-diaminocyclohexane

(1R,2R)-N¹-2-amyl-1,2-diaminocyclohexane, which has an amyl substituent as compared with 1,2-diaminocyclohexane, was used as the carrier group to construct three platinum(II) complexes. MTT assay revealed that the complexes showed decent cytotoxicity against all of the four tested tumor cell lines with the IC₅₀ values ranging from 1.08 to 253.36 μM. Particularly, the IC₅₀ values of 2 against A549 and HCT-116 reached 3.32 and 1.08 μM, respectively, which were much lower than those of cisplatin and oxaliplatin. Flow cytometry demonstrated that 2 inhibited HepG2 cells proliferation and caused cytotoxicity by inducing apoptosis and arresting cells in the G2 phase. Furthermore, agarose gel electrophoresis showed that 2 had the ability to interact with DNA in a manner different from cisplatin and oxaliplatin, indicating the carrier ligand with an alkyl moiety had an influence on the action mode of the complex.     

Cobalt(II) complexes with thiosemicarbazone as potential antitumor agents: synthesis,crystal structures,DNA interactions,and cytotoxicity

Two cobalt(II) complexes [Co(QCT)₂]·Cl·1.5H₂O (1) (QCT = quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde thiosemicarbazone) and [Co(QCMT)(CH₃OH)Cl₂] (2) (QCMT = quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde N⁴-methyl-thiosemicarbazone) have been synthesized and structurally characterized. Complex 1 crystallizes in a triclinic system with space group P–1 and complex 2 crystallizes in a monoclinic system with space group P2(1)/n. In both complexes the cobalt(II) center is six coordinated with distorted octahedral geometry. The interactions of two complexes with CT-DNA were investigated by electronic absorption spectra, circular dichroism (CD) spectra and fluorescence spectra. Results suggest that the complexes bind to DNA via groove binding mode, and complex 2 has stronger binding ability than complex 1. The in vitro cytotoxicity has been tested against the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A-549, cisplatin-resistant cell line A-549/CDDP, and human breast adenocarcinoma cell line MCF-7. Complex 2 is more cytotoxic than complex 1, and both of them show higher cytotoxicity than the parent ligands alone. Compared with cisplatin, the two cobalt(II) complexes are more active against A-549/CDDP and MCF-7 cell lines at most experimental concentrations. Notably, although complex 2 is found to be less effective than cisplatin against the parent cell line A-549, it is much more effective than cisplatin against the resistant cell A-549/CDDP.     

Synthesis,structural and chemosensitivity studies of arene d6 metal complexes having N‐phenyl‐N´‐(pyridyl/pyrimidyl)thiourea derivatives

The d⁶ metal complexes of thiourea derivatives were synthesized to investigate its cytotoxicity. Treatment of various N‐phenyl‐N´ pyridyl/pyrimidyl thiourea ligands with half‐sandwich d⁶ metal precursors yielded a series of cationic complexes. Reactions of ligand (L1‐L3) with [(p‐cymene)RuCl₂]₂ and [Cp*MCl₂]₂ (M = Rh/Ir) led to the formation of a series of cationic complexes bearing general formula [(arene)M(L1)к²_(N,S)Cl]⁺, [(arene)M(L2)к²_(N,S)Cl]⁺ and [(arene)M(L3)к²_(N,S)Cl]⁺ [arene = p‐cymene, M = Ru ( 1 , 4 , 7 ); Cp*, M = Rh ( 2 , 5 , 8 ); Cp*, Ir ( 3 , 6 , 9 )]. These compounds were isolated as their chloride salts. X‐ray crystallographic studies of the complexes revealed the coordination of the ligands to the metal in a bidentate chelating N,S‐ manner. Further the cytotoxicity studies of the thiourea derivatives and its complexes evaluated against HCT‐116 (human colorectal cancer), MIA‐PaCa‐2 (human pancreatic cancer) and ARPE‐19 (non‐cancer retinal epithelium) cancer cell lines showed that the thiourea ligands displayed no activity. Upon complexation however, the metal compounds possesses cytotoxicity and whilst potency is less than cisplatin, several complexes exhibited greater selectivity for HCT‐116 or MIA‐PaCa‐2 cells compared to ARPE‐19 cells than cisplatin in vitro. Rhodium complexes of thiourea derivatives were found to be more potent as compared to ruthenium and iridium complexes.     

Potent and Selective Cytotoxic and Anti-inflammatory Gold(III) Compounds Containing Cyclometalated Phosphine Sulfide Ligands

Four cycloaurated phosphine sulfide complexes, [Au{κ²-2-C₆H₄P(S)Ph₂}₂][AuX₂] [X=Cl ( 2 ), Br ( 3 ), I ( 4 )] and [Au{κ²-2-C₆H₄P(S)Ph₂}₂]PF₆ ( 5 ), have been prepared and thoroughly characterized. The compounds were found to be stable under physiological-like conditions and showed excellent cytotoxicity against a broad range of cancer cell lines and remarkable cytotoxicity in 3D tumor spheroids. Mechanistic studies with cervical cancer (HeLa) cells indicated that the cytotoxic effects of the compounds involve the inhibition of thioredoxin reductase and induction of apoptosis through mitochondrial disruption. In vivo experiments in nude mice bearing HeLa xenografts showed that treatment with compounds 4 and 5 resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth (35.8 and 46.9 %, respectively), better than that of cisplatin (29 %). The newly synthesized gold complexes were also evaluated for their in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory activity through the study of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated macrophages and carrageenan-induced hind paw edema in rats, respectively.