Structural requirements for time-dependent inhibition of prostaglandin biosynthesis by anti-inflammatory drugs

Several anti-inflammatory drugs have been examined for their ability to cause a time-dependent destruction of the fatty acid oxygenase that produces prostaglandins. All of the time-dependent inhibitors contained carboxylic acid moieties, and in addition all but one of the drugs contained a halogen atom. Structural analogs (of the time-dependent inhibitors) lacking halogen atoms were unable to cause a time-dependent destruction of the enzyme. The time-dependent property of an inhibitor was totally eliminated after methylation of the carboxylate group. Methylation did not, however, alter the ability of the inhibitors to competitively inhibit the oxygenase. Thus, the reversible binding of the agents at the active site was not appreciably dependent upon the free carboxyl group, whereas the subsequent irreversible process was.