A possible anti-inflammatory capacity of chlorogenic acid

Inflammatory processes, although important for tissue homeostasis, can suffer imbalances and be related to several diseases. An important enzyme involved in the mediation of inflammatory processes is cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), which generates prostaglandins from arachidonic acid. In this context, this enzyme is an important drug target and its inhibition is a mechanism present in several anti-inflammatory drugs. The chlorogenic acid (CHLORO) could act in an inhibitory way on COX-2 and there are reports of anti-inflammatory actions of this molecule. To evaluate the possible inhibitory power on COX-2 of chlorogenic acid through molecular docking was the objective of this study. The docking simulation by AutoDock Vina demonstrated a binding energy with the COX-2 of -9.5 Kcal/mol. Besides that, COX-2 and CHLORO stablished 09 Hydrogen bonds and 06 hydrophobic interactions. The binding energy and types of binding established with COX-2 can demonstrate the anti-inflammatory properties of the CHLORO. In this sense, it would be important to continue in vitro and in vivo studies.