Synthesis of sulfonyl curcumin mimics exerting a vasodilatation effect on the basilar artery of rabbits.

In order to discover novel small vasodilatory molecules for potential use in the treatment of vascular disease, we tested the vasodilatation effect of two types of synthetic curcumin mimics, amide type (3) and sulfonyl amide type (4), upon the basilar artery of rabbits. In general, the sulfonyl amide type mimic (4) is more potent than the amide type (3). Curcumin (1) and compounds 12 and 20 effectively dilated the basilar artery of white rabbits.