Design, synthesis, anti-inflammatory activity, and molecular docking studies of perimidine derivatives containing triazole

Abstract We report here the design, synthesis, and anti-inflammatory activities of a series of perimidine derivatives containing triazole (5a–s). The chemical structures of the synthesized compounds have been assigned on the basis of IR, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, and HRMS spectral analyses. The anti-inflammatory properties of the synthesized perimidine derivatives were evaluated in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated inflammation model. Among the tested compounds, compound 7-(3-methylbenzyl)-7 H -[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3- a ]perimidine (hereafter referred to as 5h) and compound 7-(2-fluorobenzyl)-7 H -[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3- a ]perimidine (hereafter referred to as 5n) caused a reduction in the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines—tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6—in RAW264.7 cells. The anti-inflammatory potential of compounds 5h and 5n was also evaluated in vivo in a xylene-induced ear inflammation model. Compound 5n showed the most potent anti-inflammatory activity with an inhibition of 49.26% at a dose of 50 mg/kg. This activity is more potent than that of the reference drug ibuprofen (28.13%), and slightly less than that of indometacin (49.36%). To further elucidate the mechanisms underlying these inhibitory effects, LPS-induced nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation were studied. The results of western blotting showed that the extract obtained from compound 5n inhibited NF-κB (p65) activation and MAPK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38) phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the results of a docking study of compound 5n into the COX-2 binding site revealed that its mechanism was possibly similar to that of naproxen, a COX-2 inhibitor. The effect of compound 5n on COX-2 antibody was showed it could significantly inhibit COX-2 activity.