Synthesis and evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effects of niflumic acid lipophilic prodrugs in brain edema.

Five new lipophilic prodrugs of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, niflumic acid (Nifluril, CAS 4394-00-7), were synthetized and evaluated on the experimental brain edema (injection of phospholipase A2). The effect of these drugs in comparison with dexamethasone which elicits a marked effect on clinical and experimental brain edema was evaluated. Niflumic acid was vectorised by cholesterol, hexadecanol and by three 1,3-diacylglycerols. The anti-inflammatory activity of these compounds on experimental brain edema was evaluated by determination of the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) brain tissue concentration. Niflumic acid reduced the prostaglandin E2 production more significantly than dexamethasone. Niflumic acid prodrug forms (1,3-dihexadecanoyl-2-[2-[3-(trifluoromethyl)anilino]nicotinoyl] glycerol and 1,3-dihexadecanoyl-2-[2-[3-(trifluoromethyl)anilino]nicotinoyloxybuta noyl] glycerol also showed a marked anti-inflammatory activity at low concentrations.