title: Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of substituted 2-alkylthio-1,5-diarylimidazoles as selective COX-2 inhibitors.
abstract: A new type of 1-aryl-5-(4-methylsulfonylphenyl)imidazoles, possessing C-2 alkylthio (SMe or SEt) substituents, were designed and synthesized for evaluation as selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors with in vivo anti-inflammatory activity. The compound, 1-(4-bromophenyl)-5-(4-methylsulfonylphenyl)-2-methylthioimidazole (11g), was the most potent and selective COX-2 inhibitor (COX-2 IC50=0.43 microM with no inhibition of COX-1 up to 25 microM) relative to the reference drug celecoxib (COX-2 IC50=0.21 microM with no inhibition of COX-1 up to 25 microM) and also showed very good anti-inflammatory activity compared to celecoxib in carrageenan-induced rat paw edema assay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 14174, Iran.
authors.forename: Latifeh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Navidpour
authors.forename: Hooman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shadnia
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shafaroodi
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amini
authors.forename: Ahmad Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Dehpour
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shafiee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000187:drug effects*; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015195:Drug Design; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008958:Models, Molecular; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D007093:Imidazoles; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2