Two series of 4-benzylideneamino-and 4-phenyliminomethyl-benzenesulfonamide derivatives were designed and synthesized for the evaluation as selective cyclooxygenase- 2 (COX-2) inhibitors in a cellular assay using human whole blood (HWB). Extensive structure–activity relationships (SAR) were studied within these series. Several compounds were found to be novel and selective COX-2 inhibitors. Among them, the most potent and ...