5-Aminopyrazol-4-yl ketones are prepared rapidly and efficiently using microwave dielectric heating from β-ketonitriles by treatment with
N,
N′-diphenylformamidine followed by heterocyclocondensation by irradiation with a hydrazine. The inhibitory activity of R
O3201195 prepared by this methodology was confirmed in hTERT-immortalized HCA2 and WS dermal fibroblasts at 200 nM concentration, both by ELISA and immunoblot assay, and displays excellent kinase selectivity for p38
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MAPK over the related stress-activated kinase JNK.