Antiinflammatory and aldose reductase inhibitory activity of some tricyclic arylacetic acids

A number of dibenztropone, dibenzsuberone, dibenzoxepin, and dibenzthiepin acetic acids were synthesized and tested for antiinflammatory/analgesic activity and also for their ability to inhibit rabbit lens aldose reductase (AR). It was found that the structural requirements for antiinflammatory/analgesic activity, believed to be mediated by inhibition of cyclooxygenase, were much more stringent than were those for AR inhibition. For example, the introduction of a hydroxyl group into positions 1, 4, 6, 7, or 8 on dibenzsuberone-2-acetic acid (1a) had relatively little effect on AR inhibition, but caused wide variations in antiinflammatory/analgesic activity.