Caftaric Acid Ameliorates Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Bladder Overactivity in Rats Having Interstitial Cystitis: An In Silico Study

Interstitial cystitis(IC) is the principal unwanted effect associatedwith the use of cyclophosphamide (CYP). It results in increased oxidativestress, overexpression of proinflammatory cytokines, and bladder overactivity.Patients receiving CYP treatment had severely depreciated qualityof life, as the treatment available is not safe and effective. Thegoal of this study was to assess the protective effect of caftaricacid in CYP-induced IC. IC was induced in female Sprague Dawley byinjecting CYP (150 mg/kg, i.p.). In the present study, oral administrationof caftaric acid (20, 40, and 60 mg/kg) significantly decreased inflammation.Caftaric acid significantly increased SOD (93%), CAT (92%), and GSH(90%) while decreased iNOS (97%), IL-6 (90%), TGF 1-& beta; (83%),and TNF-& alpha; (96%) compared to the diseased. DPPH assay showedthe antioxidant capacity comparable to ascorbic acid. Molecular dockingof caftaric acid with selected protein targets further confirmed itsantioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The cyclophosphamide-inducedbladder overactivity had been decreased possibly through the inhibitionof M-3 receptors, ATP-sensitive potassium channels, calciumchannels, and COX enzyme by caftaric acid. Therefore, our findingsdemonstrate that caftaric acid has a considerable protective roleagainst CYP-induced IC by decreasing the oxidative stress, inflammation,and bladder smooth muscle hyperexcitability. Thus, caftaric acid signifiesa likely adjuvant agent in CYP-based chemotherapy treatments.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the protective effect of caftaric acid against cyclophosphamide-induced interstitial cystitis (IC) in female Sprague Dawley rats. Caftaric acid significantly decreased inflammation, increased antioxidant capacity, and inhibited bladder overactivity. These findings suggest that caftaric acid has potential as an adjuvant agent in cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy treatments for IC.