Carboxyarylindoles as nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents.

An extensive series of carboxyarylindoles has been evaluated for antiinflammatory activity in the carrageenin paw edema assay. The requirements for optimal antiinflammatory activity in this series are relatively specific: a central pyrrole nucleus with (a) a 3-carboxy-4-hydroxyphenyl moiety substituted directly on the nitrogen, (b) a 2-phenyl group (R2) with a substituent of low electronegativity, (c) absence of a substituent in the 3 position (R3), and (d) a system fused across the 4,5 positions (X), which is lipophilic, quasiplanar, and does not interact sterically with the N-phenyl group. One derivative, 3-(3-carboxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-3H-benz[e]indole (42), has been selected for further study.