Boron Based NSAIDs as a Treatment Option for Chronic Pain

Amanda Swistok*, Brian Popp, Randika Abeysinghe, and Steven Knowlden

C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Presentation Category: Oral-Science & Technology (Oral Presentation #28)

Student’s Major: Biochemistry

Background: WV is the epicenter for what has been called the opioid epidemic. Opioids are an addictive class of drugs typically used to treat chronic pain. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, another class of painkillers, have many drawbacks to chronic use, including stomach ulceration and kidney disease. Between these two candidates, there is no significant difference in pain relief. Boron has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties which makes it an excellent candidate for treatment of chronic pain. With the recent upswing in the FDA approval of several boron-based drugs and the ease of utilizing boron in chemical reactions with high yields, using boracarboxylation methodology to produce a new class of boron-based NSAIDs could provide better chronic pain management. Methods: Compounds are synthesized according to boracarboxylation protocol. COX assays performed according to protocol given by manufacturer. Results: Cytotoxicity assays and Griess assays show that boron-based derivatives show no significant difference in performance from ibuprofen. Conclusions: These compounds can be made in masse due to the high yield of these reactions. As drug candidates, they perform well in vitro which leads us to believe in vivo studies should be conducted. At the least, these drugs should perform similarly to current NSAIDs on the market and at most could potentially relieve the negative symptoms of chronic use. This would be groundbreaking in the treatment of chronic pain, leading to reduced use of addictive opioids.

Funding: Honors EXCEL

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: Other, Honors EXCEL