Comparison of the Antiinflammatory Activities of Copper Complexes in Different Models of Inflammation

Abstract

The successful use of copper complexes for the treatment of inflammatory conditions was reported long before these substances were shown to possess antiinflammatory (AI) activity in animal models of inflammation (1,2). The clinical observations coupled to animal studies prompted Sorenson (3) to suggest that copper complexes of non-steroidal AI ligands were formed in vivo and that these complexes were responsible for the beneficial activity of these drugs. Indeed, Sorenson (3) showed that copper complexes of several non AI complexing agents possessed AI effects in rats and that copper complexes of established AI drugs were more effective than the parent in this species. Other workers have also demonstrated AI activity for a number of copper complexes in several acute and chronic hind paw edemas in the rat (4-13) although agreement as to whether the copper complex of an AI drug is more effective than the parent has been questioned (14). It was also proposed that the AI activity of copper complexes via parenteral routes of administration may be due to counterirritation caused by free copper ions since many of the complexes possessed local irritant activity in the absence of oral activity in the rat (10,11,14).