An investigation of the novel anti-inflammatory agents ONO-3144 and MK-447. Studies on their potential antioxidant activity.

Oxygen-derived free radicals have been implicated as contributors to inflammatory disorders and it has been suggested that certain anti-inflammatory drugs act by scavenging free radicals. In this paper we have studied the free radical scavenging activity of two such experimental anti-inflammatory drugs MK-447 and ONO-3144. Using the technique of pulse radiolysis we have been able to obtain rate constants for the reactions of these compounds with specific free radicals including OH and O2-. We have also investigated the antioxidant capacity of these compounds using rat liver microsomal lipid peroxidation systems. It is suggested that this approach yielding quantitative data concerning defined free radical species will lead to a better understanding of the role of radical scavenging in anti-inflammatory activity.