Antiinflammatory 4,5-diarylpyrroles. 2. Activity as a function of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition

The antiinflammatory activity of a series of 2-substituted- and 2,3-disubstituted-4-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-1H- pyrroles was previously shown by quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) studies to be correlated with the molar refractivity and inductive field effect of the 2-substituent and the lipophilicity of the 3-substituent. The present study demonstrates that much of the antiinflammatory activity of these pyrroles could be correlated with the inhibition of the inducible isoform of cyclooxygenase (COX2). Additional QSAR studies have been used to identify the molecular parameters necessary for maximizing COX2 inhibition while simultaneously minimizing the inhibition of constitutively expressed cyclooxygenase-1. Such an effort should facilitate the discovery and development of selective COX inhibitors that should lead to safer nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.