Oxaprozin prodrug as safer nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug: Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation

Oxaprozin is a popular non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) and its chronic oral use is clinically restricted due to its gastrointestinal (GI) complications. In order to circumvent the GI complications, oxaprozin was amended as a prodrug in a one‐pot reaction using N,N‐carbonyldiimidazole as an activating agent. Dextran of average molecular weight (60,000–90,000 Da) was exploited as a carrier in the process of oxaprozin prodrug production by esterification. The structural profiles of the synthesized oxaprozin prodrug were characterized by FT‐IR and NMR spectroscopy. The oxaprozin prodrug possessed optimal molecular weight, lipophilicity, partition coefficient, protein binding, and degree of substitution of 52.4%. The release of oxaprozin upon hydrolysis of the prodrug in both simulated gastric fluid and simulated intestinal fluid followed first‐order kinetics with 55.2 min of half‐life. Varied ADME properties of the prodrug resulted upon Schrodinger's QikProp tool application. Oxaprozin prodrug displayed significant analgesic, antipyretic, and anti‐inflammatory activities, with a remarkable decrease in the ulcer index and being devoid of antigenicity in experimental animals. Thus, it is evident that oxaprozin prodrug is a safer oral NSAID without causing any ulcerations.