“…Five-membered heterocycles with two aryl groups on adjacent positions include a very large number of biologically active compounds [1] such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, [2] anticoccidial agents, [3] cannabinoid CB 1 receptor antagonists, [4] ligands for the Niemann Pick C1 Like 1 (NPC1L1) protein, [5] antagonists for the human CCK 1 receptor, [6] inhibitors of transforming growth factor-beta, [7] p38α MAP kinase, [8] and HMG-CoA reductase, [9] and substances with potent cytotoxic activity against human cancer cell lines. [10] Among these heterocycles, unsymmetrical 3,4-diaryl-substituted 2(5H)-furanones 1 represent a class of compounds that has received considerable attention because of their biological properties.…”