Discovery of small molecule benzimidazole antagonists of the chemokine receptor CXCR3

High-throughput screening identified a low molecular weight antagonist of CXCR3 displaying micromolar activity in a membrane filtration-binding assay. Systematic modi. cation of the benzimidazole core and tethered acetophenone moiety established tractable SAR of analogs with improved physicochemical properties and sub-micromolar activity across both human and murine receptors. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.