Design, synthesis, and discovery of 5-((1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)pyrimidine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-triones and related derivatives as novel inhibitors of mPGES-1

Human mPGES-1 has emerged as a promising target in exploring a next generation of anti-inflammatory drugs, as selective mPGES-1 inhibitors are expected to discriminatively suppress the production of induced PGE₂ without blocking the normal biosynthesis of other prostanoids including homeostatic PGE₂. Therefore, this therapeutic approach is believed to reduce the adverse effects associated with the application of traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (tNSAIDs) and selective COX-2 inhibitors (coxibs). Identified from structure-based virtue screening, the compound with (Z)-5-benzylidene-2-iminothiazolidin-4-one scaffold was used as lead in rational design of novel inhibitors. Besides, we further designed, synthesized, and evaluated 5-((1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)pyrimidine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-triones and structurally related derivatives for their in vitro inhibitory activities. According to in vitro activity assays, a number of these compounds were capable of inhibiting human mPGES-1, with the desirable selectivity for mPGES-1 over COX isozymes.