Novel, Brain-Permeable, Cross-Species Benzothiazole Inhibitors of Microsomal Prostaglandin E Synthase-1 (mPGES-1) Dampen Neuroinflammation and .

Microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) is an inducible enzyme of the cyclooxygenase (COX) cascade that generates prostaglandin E2 (PGE) during inflammatory conditions. PGE is known to be a potent immune signaling molecule that mediates both peripheral and central inflammations. Inhibition of mPGES-1, rather than COX, may overcome the cardiovascular side effects associated with long-term COX inhibition by providing a more specific strategy to target inflammation. However, mPGES-1 inhibitor development is hampered by the large differences in cross-species activity due to the structural differences between the human and murine mPGES-1. Here, we report that our thiazole-based mPGES-1 inhibitors, compounds () and derived from two novel scaffolds, were able to suppress PGE production in human (SK-N-AS) and murine (BV2) cells. The IC values of inhibiting PGE production in human and murine cells were 0.10 and 2.00 μM for and 0.43 and 1.55 μM for compound , respectively. Based on and pharmacokinetic data, we selected for evaluation in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation model. We found that our compound significantly suppressed proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the hippocampus but not in the kidney. Taken together, we demonstrated the potential of in treating neuroinflammatory conditions, including epilepsy and stroke, and warrant further optimization.