C. Puig et al., Synthesis and biological evaluation of 3,4-diaryloxazolones: A new class of orally active cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, J MED CHEM, 43(2), 2000, pp. 214-223
A series of 3,4-diaryloxazolones were prepared and evaluated for their abil
ity to inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Extensive structure-activity relat
ionship work was carried out within this series, and a number of potent and
selective COX-2 inhibitors were identified. The replacement of the methyl
sulfone group on the 4-phenyl ring by a sulfonamide moiety resulted in comp
ounds with superior in vivo antiinflammatory properties. In the sulfonamide
series, the introduction of a methyl group at the 5-position of the oxazol
one ring gave rise to very COX-2-selective compounds but with decreased in
vivo activity. Selected 3,4-diaryloxazolones exhibited excellent activities
in experimental models of arthritis and hyperalgesia. The in vivo activity
of these compounds was confirmed with the evaluation of their antipyretic
effectiveness and their ability to inhibit migration of proinflammatory cel
ls. As expected from their COX-2 selectivity, mast of the active compounds
lacked gastrointestinal toxicity in vivo in rats after a 4-day treatment of
100 mg/kg/day. Within this novel series, sulfonamides 9-11 have been selec
ted for further preclinical evaluation.