Synthesis and crystal structure of N-[(dimethylamino)methylidene]-4-[1-(4-nitrophenyl)-1H-tetrazol-5-yl]-benzenesulfonamide: Molecular docking and bioassay studies as cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor

• The novel 1,5-diaryl tetrazole 3 as a COX-2 inhibitor was synthesized.
• The crystal structure of tetrazole 3 was discussed.
• The docking studies of 3 and celecoxib in the active site of COX-2 were conducted.
• The in vitro bioassay results of 3 as COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors were reported.

The synthesis of N-[(dimethylamino)methylidene]-4-[1-(4-nitrophenyl)-1H-tetrazol-5-yl]benzenesulfonamide (3) has been easily approached and the structure has been determined by X-ray crystallography. Tetrazole 3 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c, with the cell parameters determined as a = 35.5408 (18) Å, b = 7.6972 (4) Å, c = 13.0700 (7) Å3, β = 96.8598 (6)°, V = 3549.9 (3) Å3, and Z = 8. Its structure refines to R1 = 0.0341 (for 2986 observed reflections [I ≥ 2σ(I)]) and wR2 = 0.0990 (for all 3637 unique reflections). The aryl rings at the 1- and 5-positions show no conjugation to the tetrazole group, and the [(Dimethylamino)methylene]aminosulfonyl (Me2NCHNSO2) group is disordered, with the two disorder conformers being related by a pseudo mirror plane. In the crystal, intermolecular interactions between adjacent molecule of 3 are dominated by weak (2.4–2.7 Å) CeH…O and CeH…N hydrogen bonds. The molecular docking studies were carried out to understand the interaction of compound 3 within the active site of the cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme, followed by a comparison study with the celecoxib drug as a reference compound. The in vitro bioassay studies of tetrazole 3 toward cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2 enzymes showed that compound 3 has no inhibition potency for either enzyme.

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