Pyridazine and pyridazinone derivatives: Synthesis and in vitro investigation of their anti-inflammatory potential in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages

New pyridazine and pyridazinone derivatives 3a–g, 4a–f, 6a, and 6b were designed and synthesized. Cell viability of all compounds was established based on the viability of lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 macrophage cells determined via the MTT assay. In vitro inhibition assays on human COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes were conducted to probe the newly synthesized compounds' anti-inflammatory activity. The half maximal inhibitory concentration values for the most active compounds, 3d, 3e, and 4e towards COX-2 were 0.425, 0.519, and 0.356 µM, respectively, in comparison with celecoxib. The newly synthesized compounds' ability to inhibit the production of certain proinflammatory cytokines, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and prostaglandin-E2, was also estimated in lipopolysaccharide-induced macrophages (RAW264.7 cells). Compounds 3d and 3e were identified as the most potent cytokine production inhibitors. The results of molecular modeling studies suggested that these compounds were characterized by a reasonable binding affinity toward the active site of COX-2, when compared to a reference ligand. These results might be taken into consideration in further investigations into new anti-inflammatory agents.