Butyl methyl imidazolium silica sulfate (BMIm)SS: A novel hybrid nano‐catalyst for highly efficient synthesis of new 1,2-diol monoesters of ibuprofen as the novel prodrugs of ibuprofen having potent analgesic property

[Display omitted] •Novel nano-hybride catalyst (BMIm)SS is prepared and characterized.•1,2-diol monoester of IBP is obtained from epoxide and IBP catalyzed by (BMIm)SS.•1,2-diol monoesters of IBP show potent analgesic activity using formalin test.•Docking indicates strong binding of compounds in an active site of COX-2 enzyme.•In silico pharmacokinetic profile was applied to predict potential drug candidate. The fabrication, characterization of butyl methyl imidazolium silica sulfate [BMIm]SS as a novel nano hybrid catalyst and its application in synthesis of new ibuprofen (IBP) 1,2-diol mono esters were described. [BMIm]SS catalyzed the reaction of IBP with epoxides to afford the new IBP 1,2-diol mono esters in good to excellent yields. The products were tested in vivo for the analgesic properties on female mice using formalin test. The test results revealed that most compounds, in particular compounds 1h, 1k and 1o displayed potent analgesic activity compare to IBP as a reference drug. No mortality was observed due to the toxicity of the synthesized compounds. The docking analysis was conducted that confirmed the strong binding affinity of active compounds to active site of murine cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme compare to IBP. The in silico pharmacokinetic profile, drug likeness and toxicity predictions were carried out for all compounds which determined that 1h can be suggested as an appropriate future drug candidate.