Evaluation of a new anti-inflammatory/analgesic compound F-776, 5-(4-chlorophenyl)-beta-hydroxy-2-furanpropanoic acid.

F-776, 5-(4-chlorophenyl)-beta-hydroxy-2-furanpropanoic acid, is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic drug which does not produce stomach ulcers. It's spectrum of activity includes full anti-inflammatory efficacy in bilaterally adrenalectomized rats; and ED50 value in the carrageenin hindpaw edema assay comparable to that of fenoprofen and ibuprofen; effectiveness in preventing and in diminishing developing and established adjuvant-induced polyarthritis in rats, respectively; significant reduction of granulation tissue formation around cotton pellets; significant decrease in erythema resulting from ultraviolet irradiation of guinea-pig skin; analgesia as determined in the rat paw pressure procedure; antipyretic activity in rats with yeast-induced fever; and an uricosuric effect noted at higher than anti-inflammatory doses. F-776 is not an immunosuppressant as determined in the experimental allergic encephalomyelitis rat model. Its mechanism of action is as yet undetermined. In conclusion, F-776 represents a new nonulcerogenic anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic compound with potential utility in different arthritic conditions.