Novel Synthesized Benzophenone Thiazole Hybrids Exhibited Ex Vivo and In Silico Anti-Inflammatory Activity

Novel benzophenone–thiazole hybrids with different substituents were synthesized and evaluated for anti-inflammatory activity using an ex vivo human whole-blood assay. All hybrids (3c and 5a–h) showed significant anti-inflammatory activity via prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) release inhibition. Moreover, 5c (82.8% of PGE2 inhibition), 5e (83.1% of PGE2 inhibition), and 5h (82.1% of PGE2 inhibition) were comparable to the reference drugs. Molecular docking revealed potential preferable binding to the active sites of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) enzymes. This study provides the first evidence that benzophenone–thiazole hybrids may also dock in mPGES-1, a new attractive anti-inflammatory drug target, besides providing promising ex vivo anti-inflammatory activity. Thus, the novel hybrids are promising anti-inflammatory lead compounds and highlight the significance of optimal substituent selection in the design of potent PGE2 inhibitors.