Novel approach to pro-drugs of lactones: water soluble imidate and ortho-ester derivatives of a furanone-based COX-2 selective inhibitor.

Interest in water soluble COX-2 inhibitors that can be administered intravenously led to the development of novel pro-drugs of a furanone based COX-2 inhibitor 2. Transforming the lactone moiety of the furanone to an imidate or an ortho-ester with a hydrophilic, endogenous appendage resulted in water soluble pro-drugs that converted to the parent drug in vivo.