Anti-inflammatory activity of novel thiosemicarbazone compounds indole-based as COX inhibitors

Background In this article, a series of 20 new thiosemicarbazone derivatives containing indole were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-inflammatory potential. Methods The compounds were obtained through a synthetic route of only two steps, with yields that varied between 33.6 and 90.4%, and characterized by spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques. Results An initial screening through the lymphoproliferation assay revealed that compounds LT76, LT81, and LT87 were able to inhibit lymphocyte proliferation, with CC 50 of 0.56 ± 0.036, 0.9 ± 0.01 and 0.5 ± 0.07 µM, respectively, better results than indomethacin (CC 50 > 12 µM). In addition, these compounds were able to suppress the in-vitro production of TNF-α and NO, in addition to stimulating the production of IL-4. Reinforcing in-vitro assays, the compounds were able to inhibit COX-2 similar to Celecoxib showing greater selectivity for this isoform (LT81 SI: 23.06 versus Celecoxib SI: 11.88). Animal studies showed that compounds LT76 (64.8% inhibition after 6 h), LT81 (89% inhibition after 6 h) and LT87 (100% inhibition after 4 h) were able to suppress edema in mice after inoculation carrageenan with greater potency than indomethacin, and immunohistochemistry revealed that the groups treated with LT76, LT81 and LT87 reduced the expression of COX-2, similar or better results when compared to indomethacin. Complementarily, in-silico studies have shown that these compounds have a good pharmacokinetic profile, for respecting the parameters of Lipinski and Veber, showing their good bioavailability. Conclusions These results demonstrate the potency of thiosemicarbazone derivatives containing indole and confirm their importance as scaffolds of molecules with notorious anti-inflammatory activity.