2-((1H-Azol-1-yl)methyl)-N-arylbenzamides: Novel dual inhibitors of VEGFR-1/2 kinases

Novel potent derivatives of (azol-1-yl)methyl-N-arylbenzamides with improved solubility (>3 mM) are described as ATP-competitive inhibitors of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2). Many compounds display VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity reaching IC50 < 100 nM in the enzymatic assay. The compounds also inhibit the related tyrosine kinase, VEGFR-1, with similar potencies. Several compounds containing bulky lipophilic substituents at the benzamide pharmacophore yielded 10- to 17-fold selectivity for the VEGFR-2 versus VEGFR-1 kinase.