Differential anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects by enantiomers of zaltoprofen in rodents

In the present study, we investigated the effect of zaltoprofen enantiomers on inflammation and pain and compared their effect with racemic zaltoprofen. S(+)-zaltoprofen potently inhibited the inflammatory response in carrageenan-induced paw edema model, whereas R(−)-zaltoprofen did not. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory effect of S(+)-zaltoprofen was stronger than that of racemic zaltoprofen, suggesting that S(+)-zaltoprofen is an active component of racemic zaltoprofen in terms of anti-inflammatory activity. In contrast, the results of acetic acid-induced writhing model demonstrated that no significant analgesic effect was observed by racemic zaltoprofen and zaltoprofen enantiomers at doses used in carrageenan-induced paw edema model. However, racemic zaltoprofen and zaltoprofen enantiomers all exerted an analgesic effect at higher doses, which is inconsistent with the result of carrageenan-induced paw edema model. Gastric ulcers induced by racemic zaltoprofen and zaltoprofen enantiomers were minimal. Taken together, these results suggest that S(+)-zaltoprofen is a potent and active anti-inflammatory component of racemic zaltoprofen, but both S(+)-zaltoprofen and R(−)-zaltoprofen might seem to contribute to the analgesic effect of racemic zaltoprofen. •S(+)-zaltoprofen is an active anti-inflammatory component of racemic zaltoprofen.•Both enantiomers of zaltoprofen contribute to the analgesic effect of racemate.•The effects of S(+)-zaltoprofen is more potent than the racemic zaltoprofen.•S(+)-zaltoprofen exerts minimal gastric damage.