Design, synthesis, biological evaluation, and molecular docking study on triazine based derivatives as anti-inflammatory agents

Abstract

• Nine compounds consisting of triazine, vanillin, and phenylpyrazole were synthesized by pharmacophore hybridization. • Novel anti-inflammatory agents were designed according to cyclooxygenase II inhibitor structures. • Their anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated through the rat carrageenan-induced foot paw edema model. • Compound 10b showed a greater inhibitory effect (93%) than indomethacin as an anti-inflammaton standard. • Interaction of synthesized compounds with the binding sites of both COX-1 and COX-2 were investigated. In an attempt to develop new anti-inflammatory agents, design, synthesis, pharmacological activities, and docking study of two groups of triazine-based derivatives were reported. Nine compounds (5a-5d and 10a-10e) consisting of triazine, vanillin, and phenylpyrazole were synthesized through the pharmacophore hybridization method. After confirmation of the structure of the synthesized compounds using spectroscopic methods (FT-IR, and NMR spectral data), their anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated using carrageenan-induced paw edema model in male Wistar rats (200–220 g) administered intraperitoneally at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg. A group of rats received indomethacin (10 mg/kg) as the standard drug. Among compounds 5a to 5d, only compounds 5c and 5d showed a significant anti-inflammatory effect ( p < 0.01). Also compound 10a at a dose of (200 mg/kg) and compounds 10b, 10c, 10d and 10e at both doses showed significant anti-inflammatory activity and this effect for 10a (200 mg/kg) and both doses of 10b and 10e was comparable with indomethacin. While indomethacin reduced paw edema by 90%, 10b as the most potent tested compound reduced edema by 93%. The synthesized compounds were docked into the binding sites of both cyclooxygenase-1- and 2- isoenzymes (COX-1 and COX-2) to explore their binding mode and possible interactions of these ligands.