An extensive series of carboxyarylindoles has been evaluated for antiinflammatory activity in the carrageenin paw edema assay. The requirements for optimal antiinflammatory activity in this series are relatively specific: a central pyrrole nucleus with (a) a 3-carboxy-4-hydroxyphenyl moiety substituted directly on the nitrogen, (b) a 2-phenyl group (R2) with a substituent of low electronegativity, (c) absence of a substituent in the 3 position (R3), and (d) a system fused across the 4,5 positions (X), which is lipophilic, quasiplanar, and does not interact sterically with the N-phenyl group. One derivative, 3-(3-carboxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-3H-benz[e]indole (42), has been selected for further study.