Design and synthesis of novel rofecoxib analogs as potential cyclooxygenase (COX‐2) inhibitors: Replacement of the methylsulfonyl pharmacophore by a sulfonylazide bioisostere

A group of rofecoxib analogs, having a sulfonylazide (SO₂N₃) substituent in place of the methanesulfonyl (SO₂CH₃) pharmacophore at the meta‐position viz 3‐(4‐methyl, 4‐methoxy, or 4‐ethoxyphenyl)‐4‐(3‐sulfonylazidophenyl)‐2(5H)furanone ( 7a‐c ) and para‐position viz 3‐phenyl‐4‐(4‐sulfonylazidophenyl)‐2(5H)furanone ( 7d ), 3‐(4‐fluoro, or 4‐chlorophenyl)‐4‐(4‐sulfonylazidophenyl)‐2(5H)furanone ( 7e‐f ) of the C–4 phenyl ring, and 4‐(1‐oxido‐4‐pyridyl)‐3‐phenyl‐2(5H)furanone ( 12 ) were designed and synthesized for evaluation as selective cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) inhibitors. In vitro COX‐1/COX‐2 enzyme inhibition studies showed that 3‐phenyl‐4‐(4‐sulfonylazidophenyl)‐2(5H)furanone ( 7d ) inhibited COX‐1 selectively (COX‐1 IC₅₀ = 0.6659 μM; COX‐2 IC₅₀ > 100 μM) and 3‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐4‐(4‐sulfonylazidophenyl)‐2(5H)furanone ( 7e ) inhibited both enzymes (COX‐1 IC₅₀ = 0.8494 μM; COX‐2 IC₅₀ = 1.7661 μM). A molecular modeling study was performed where 3‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐4‐(4‐sulfonylazidophenyl)‐2(5H)furanone ( 7e ) was docked in the active site of murine COX‐2 isozyme, which showed that the sulfonylazido group inserts deep into the 2°‐pocket of COX‐2 where it undergoes both H‐bonding (Gln¹⁹², Phe⁵¹⁸) and weak electrostatic (Arg⁵¹³) interactions.