Design, Synthesis, and Activity Evaluation of Stereoconfigured Tartarate Derivatives as Potential Anti-inflammatory Agents In Vitro and In Vivo

Preclinical and clinical data reveal that inflammation is strongly correlated with the pathogenesis of a number of diseases including those of cancer, Alzheimer, and diabetes. The inflammatory cascade involves a multitude of cytokines ending ultimately with the activation of COX-2/LOX for the production of prostaglandins and leukotrienes. While the available inhibitors for these enzymes suffer from nonoptimal selectivity, in particular for COX-2, we present here the results of purposely designed tartarate derivatives that exhibit favorable selectivity and significant effectiveness against COX-2 and LOX. Integrated approaches of molecular simulation, organic synthesis, and biochemical/physical experiments identified 15 inhibiting COX-2 and LOX with respective IC50 4 and 7 nM. At a dose of 5 mg kg–1 to Swiss albino mice, 15 reversed algesia by 65% and inflammation by 33% in 2–3 h. We find good agreement between experiments and simulations and use the simulations to rationalize our observations.