Potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of 1-furan-2-yl-3-pyridin-2-yl-propenone with gastric ulcer sparing effect.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most frequently prescribed drug for the treatment of inflammation and pain. However, conventional NSAIDs and selective COX-2 inhibitors have shown many side effects such as gastric mucosal damage and cardiovascular problems. Recently, the use of dual acting inhibitors of cyclooxygenases (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) has been highlighted for their minimized side effects compared to NSAIDs. The objective of the present study was to examine the efficacy and the gastric side effects of 1-furan-2-yl-3-pyridin-2-yl-propenone (FPP-3), a synthetic dual inhibitor of COX/5-LOX. Indomethacin (1-50 mg/kg, p.o.), a non-selective COX inhibitor, and FPP-3 (0.5-50 mg/kg, p.o.), a dual inhibitor, significantly suppressed the carrageen-induced paw edema with different pharmacological profiles. The concentrations of FPP-3 and indomethacin showing 50% inhibition of the maximum paw edema in rats were 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg, respectively. More importantly, there were no gastric ulcers formed in FPP-3-treated rats and mice, whereas indomethacin caused gastric mucosal bleeding in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, FPP-3 showed an analgesic effect in acetic acid-induced writhing response in mice in a dose-dependent manner. The results suggest that FPP-3 may have a benefit in combatting inflammation and pain by dual inhibition of COX and LOX.