Both 5-arylidene-2-thioxodihydropyrimidine-4,6(1H,5H)-diones and 3-thioxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo[1,5-a]indol-1-ones are light-Dependent tumor necrosis factor-α antagonists

Based on the realization that N-alkyl 5-arylidene-2-thioxo-1,3-thiazolidin-4-ones are tumor necrosis factor-α antagonists, we discovered two additional classes of antagonists: 3-thioxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo[1,5-a]indol-1-ones (via rational design) and 5-arylidene-2-thioxodihydropyrimidine-4,6(1H,5H)-diones (via computer-guided screening). Chemical modification of the lead structures showed that the structure–activity relationship profiles for both of these series were dependent on the electronic properties of the molecules. Subsequent studies showed that they were light-dependent inhibitors.