Prostaglandins and leukotrienes are produced in the COX and 5-LOX pathways of the inflammatory process. The current drugs target the upstream enzymes of either of the two pathways, leading to side effects. We have attempted to target the downstream enzymes simultaneously. Two compounds 2 and 3 (10 μM), identified by virtual screening, inhibited mPGES-1 activity by 53.4 ± 4.0 and 53.9 ± 8.1%, respectively. Structural and pharmacophore studies revealed a set of common residues between LTC4S and mPGES-1 as well as four-point pharmacophore mapping onto the inhibitors of both these enzymes as well as 2 and 3. These structural and pharmacophoric features may be exploited for ligand- and structure-based screening of inhibitors and designing of dual inhibitors.
Keywords: LTC4S; anti-inflammatory; drug; dual inhibition; leukotriene; mPGES-1; pharmacophore; prostaglandin.