HX600, a synthetic agonist for RXR-Nurr1 heterodimer complex, prevents ischemia-induced neuronal damage.

Ischemic stroke is amongst the leading causes of death and disabilities. The available treatments are suitable for only a fraction of patients and thus novel therapies are urgently needed. Blockage of one of the cerebral arteries leads to massive and persisting inflammatory reaction contributing to the nearby neuronal damage. Targeting the detrimental pathways of neuroinflammation has been suggested to be beneficial in conditions of ischemic stroke. Nuclear receptor 4A-family (NR4A) member Nurr1 has been shown to be a potent modulator of harmful inflammatory reactions, yet the role of Nurr1 in cerebral stroke remains unknown. Here we show for the first time that an agonist for the dimeric transcription factor Nurr1/retinoid X receptor (RXR), HX600, reduces microglia expressed proinflammatory mediators and prevents inflammation induced neuronal death in in vitro co-culture model of neurons and microglia. Importantly, HX600 was protective in a mouse model of permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion and alleviated the stroke induced motor deficits. Along with the anti-inflammatory capacity of HX600 in vitro, treatment of ischemic mice with HX600 reduced ischemia induced Iba-1, p38 and TREM2 immunoreactivities, protected endogenous microglia from ischemia induced death and prevented leukocyte infiltration. These anti-inflammatory functions were associated with reduced levels of brain lysophosphatidylcholines (lysoPCs) and acylcarnitines, metabolites related to proinflammatory events. These data demonstrate that HX600 driven Nurr1 activation is beneficial in ischemic stroke and propose that targeting Nurr1 is a novel candidate for conditions involving neuroinflammatory component.

The fat-derived hormone adiponectin reverses insulin resistance associated with both lipoatrophy and obesity.

Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived hormone. Recent genome-wide scans have mapped a susceptibility locus for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome to chromosome 3q27, where the gene encoding adiponectin is located. Here we show that decreased expression of adiponectin correlates with insulin resistance in mouse models of altered insulin sensitivity. Adiponectin decreases insulin resistance by decreasing triglyceride content in muscle and liver in obese mice. This effect results from increased expression of molecules involved in both fatty-acid combustion and energy dissipation in muscle. Moreover, insulin resistance in lipoatrophic mice was completely reversed by the combination of physiological doses of adiponectin and leptin, but only partially by either adiponectin or leptin alone. We conclude that decreased adiponectin is implicated in the development of insulin resistance in mouse models of both obesity and lipoatrophy. These data also indicate that the replenishment of adiponectin might provide a novel treatment modality for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Inhibition of RXR and PPARgamma ameliorates diet-induced obesity and type 2 diabetes.

PPARgamma is a ligand-activated transcription factor and functions as a heterodimer with a retinoid X receptor (RXR). Supraphysiological activation of PPARgamma by thiazolidinediones can reduce insulin resistance and hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes, but these drugs can also cause weight gain. Quite unexpectedly, a moderate reduction of PPARgamma activity observed in heterozygous PPARgamma-deficient mice or the Pro12Ala polymorphism in human PPARgamma, has been shown to prevent insulin resistance and obesity induced by a high-fat diet. In this study, we investigated whether functional antagonism toward PPARgamma/RXR could be used to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes. We show herein that an RXR antagonist and a PPARgamma antagonist decrease triglyceride (TG) content in white adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and liver. These inhibitors potentiated leptin's effects and increased fatty acid combustion and energy dissipation, thereby ameliorating HF diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. Paradoxically, treatment of heterozygous PPARgamma-deficient mice with an RXR antagonist or a PPARgamma antagonist depletes white adipose tissue and markedly decreases leptin levels and energy dissipation, which increases TG content in skeletal muscle and the liver, thereby leading to the re-emergence of insulin resistance. Our data suggested that appropriate functional antagonism of PPARgamma/RXR may be a logical approach to protection against obesity and related diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

New benzoic acid derivatives with retinoid activity: lack of direct correlation between biological activity and binding to cellular retinoic acid binding protein.

In this paper the biological activity of several newly synthesized benzoic acid derivatives of the Am- and Ch- series, which are structurally different from retinoic acid and arotinoids, was examined. These compounds inhibit squamous cell differentiation of rabbit tracheal epithelial cells in vitro as indicated by the inhibition of transglutaminase Type I and cholesterol 3-sulfate levels. In contrast to the inhibition of differentiation in rabbit tracheal cells, these compounds induce differentiation of mouse embryonal carcinoma F9 and human promyelocytic leukemia HL60 cells. The Am- and Ch- series of compounds also affect several parameters of cell proliferation. These agents are very potent inhibitors of growth of melanoma S91 cells and inhibit the induction of ornithine decarboxylase activity by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate in 3T6 fibroblasts. These results show that the Am- and Ch- derivatives elicit in several cell systems the same cellular responses as retinoic acid. We propose, therefore, that they exhibit mechanism(s) of action similar to those of retinoids. Comparison of the biological response with the binding capacity to the cellular retinoic acid-binding protein shows a lack of a direct correlation.

The retinoic acid receptors alpha and beta are expressed in the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60.

The human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 can be induced to differentiate into granulocytes upon exposure to retinoids. Previously we have shown that extracts of undifferentiated HL-60 cells possess a specific retinoid-binding activity (RSBP-1) corresponding to an approximate 95 kilodalton (kDa) protein as determined by size-exclusion chromatography. We now extend these observations to reveal a second approximate 95 kDa retinoic acid-binding component (RSBP-2), which is separable from RSBP-1 using anion exchange chromatography. We further show that the chromatographic properties of RSBP-1 and RSBP-2 are identical to those found for the retinoid-binding activities present in extracts of HeLa cells transfected with the human retinoic acid receptor (RAR) expression vectors RAR-beta phi and RAR-alpha phi, respectively. Moreover, an antiserum preparation directed against RAR-beta selectively immunoprecipitated both the retinoid-binding activity in extracts of HeLa cells transfected with RAR-beta phi and that corresponding to RSBP-1 in HL-60 cell extracts. Similarly, an antiserum preparation directed against RAR-alpha immunoprecipitated the retinoid-binding activity in extracts from RAR-alpha phi transfected HeLa cell as well as that corresponding to RSBP-2 in HL-60 cell extracts. Using these antisera, Western blot analyses of extracts from HL-60 cells, and from HeLa cells transfected with either RAR-alpha phi or RAR-beta phi, confirmed that RSBP-2 and RSBP-1 are identical to RAR-alpha and RAR-beta, respectively. However, RAR-alpha, RAR-beta, RSBP-1, and RSBP-2 appeared as an approximate 51 kDa species in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in contrast with an apparent approximate 95 k mol wt as estimated from size-exclusion chromatography in the presence of 0.6 M KCl.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Molecular mechanism by which acyclic retinoid induces nuclear localization of transglutaminase 2 in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Nuclear accumulation of transglutaminase 2 (TG2) is an important step in TG2-dependent cell death. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms for nuclear translocation of TG2 are still poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrated that acyclic retinoid (ACR) induced nuclear accumulation of TG2 in JHH-7 cells, a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) leading to their apoptosis. We further demonstrated molecular mechanism in nuclear-cytoplasmic trafficking of TG2 and an effect of ACR on it. We identified a novel 14-amino acid nuclear localization signal (NLS) (466)AEKEETGMAMRIRV(479) in the 'C' domain and a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES) (657)LHMGLHKL(664) in the 'D' domain that allowed TG2 to shuttle between the nuclear and cytosolic milieu. Increased nuclear import of GAPDH myc-HIS fused with the identified NLS was observed, confirming its nuclear import ability. Leptomycin B, an inhibitor of exportin-1 as well as point mutation of all leucine residues to glutamine residues in the NES of TG2 demolished its nuclear export. TG2 formed a trimeric complex with importin-α and importin-ß independently from transamidase activity which strongly suggested the involvement of a NLS-based translocation of TG2 to the nucleus. ACR accelerated the formation of the trimeric complex and that may be at least in part responsible for enhanced nuclear localization of TG2 in HCC cells treated with ACR.

Retinobenzoic acids. 2. Structure-activity relationships of chalcone-4-carboxylic acids and flavone-4'-carboxylic acids.

The structure-activity relationships of (E)-chalcone-4-carboxylic acids, which are retinoidal benzoic acids represented by R-Ph-X-Ph-COOH (4, X = -COCH = CH-), are discussed on the basis of differentiation-inducing activity on human promyelocytic leukemia cells HL-60. The activity was increased by the substitution of a bulky alkyl group(s) (R), and among such compounds, (E)-4-[3-(3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)-3-oxo-1-propenyl]benzoic acid (Ch55) and (E)-4-[3-oxo-3-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl)-1 -propenyl]benzoic acid (Ch80) are several times more active than retinoic acid. Though the stable conformer of chalcone derivatives is linear (s-cis form), the conformationally restricted analogue 4-(6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-6,6,9,9-tetramethyl-4H-4-oxonaphtho[2,3-b]py ran-2-yl)benzoic acid (Fv80) is more active than Ch80. While the effect of introduction of an oxygen atom varied, 4-[1-hydroxy-3-oxo-3-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-3-hydroxy-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2 - naphthalenyl)-1-propenyl]benzoic acid (Re80), regarded as a derivative of Ch80 with two additional hydroxyl groups, has very strong activity.

Retinobenzoic acids. 4. Conformation of aromatic amides with retinoidal activity. Importance of trans-amide structure for the activity.

N-Methylation of two retinoidal amide compounds, 4-[(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl)carbamoyl]benz oic acid (3, Am80) and 4-[[(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2- naphthalenyl)carbonyl]amino]benzoic acid (5, Am580), resulted in the disappearance of their potent differentiation-inducing activity on human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60. Studies with 1H NMR and UV spectroscopy indicated that large conformational differences exist between the active secondary amides and the inactive N-methyl amides. From a comparison of the spectroscopic results of these amides with those of stilbene derivatives, the conformations of the active amides are expected to resemble that of (E)-stilbene, whereas the inactive amides resemble the Z isomer: 3 (Am80) and 5 (Am580) have a trans-amide bond and their whole structures are elongated, while the N-methylated compounds [4 (Am90) and 6 (Am590)] have a cis-amide bond, resulting in the folding of the two benzene rings. These structures in the crystals were related to those in solution by 13C NMR spectroscopic comparison between the two phases (solid and solution).

Retinobenzoic acids. 5. Retinoidal activities of compounds having a trimethylsilyl or trimethylgermyl group(s) in human promyelocytic leukemia cells HL-60.

The retinoidal activities of trimethylsilyl or trimethylgermyl-containing retinobenzoic acids are discussed on the basis of differentiation-inducing activity on human promyelocytic leukemia cells HL-60. Compounds with a trimethylsilyl or trimethylgermyl group at the meta position of the generic formula 2 have more potent activities than the corresponding retinobenzoic acids with a m-tert-butyl group. Compounds having two m-trimethylsilyl or -trimethylgermyl groups also have strong activities, and (E)-4-[3-[3,5-bis(trimethylsilyl)phenyl]-3-oxo-1-propenyl]benzoic acid (22, Ch55S) and (E)-4-[3-[3,5-bis(trimethylgermyl)phenyl]-3-oxo-1- propenyl]benzoic acid (35, Ch55G) are more active than retinoic acid by 1 order of magnitude. However, in the para-substituted chalcone derivatives, the replacement of a tert-butyl group (49, Ch40) with a trimethylsilyl (27, Ch40S) or a trimethylgermyl (30, Ch40G) group caused the disappearance of the activity.

Retinobenzoic acids. 1. Structure-activity relationships of aromatic amides with retinoidal activity.

Two types of aromatic amides, terephthalic monoanilides and (arylcarboxamido)benzoic acids, have been shown to possess potent retinoidal activities and can be classified as retinoids. The structure-activity relationships of these amides are discussed on the basis of differentiation-inducing activity on human promyelocytic leukemia cells HL-60. In generic formula 4 (X = NHCO or CONH), the necessary factors to elicit the retinoidal activities are a medium-sized alkyl group (isopropyl, tert-butyl, etc.) at the meta position and a carboxyl group at the para position of the other benzene ring. The bonding of the amide structure can be reversed, this moiety apparently having the role of locating the two benzene rings at suitable positions with respect to each other. Substitution at the ring position ortho to the amide group or N-methylation of the amide group caused loss of activity, presumably owing to the resultant change of conformation. It is clear that the mutual orientation of the benzylic methyl group(s) and the carboxyl group and their distance apart are essential factors determining the retinoidal activity. Among the synthesized compounds, 4-[(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl)carbamoyl]benz oic acid (Am80) and 4-[(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl)carboxamido] benzoic acid (Am580) were several times more active than retinoic acid in the assay. They are structurally related to retinoic acid, as is clear from the biological activity of the hybrid compounds (M2 and R2).

Retinobenzoic acids. 3. Structure-activity relationships of retinoidal azobenzene-4-carboxylic acids and stilbene-4-carboxylic acids.

Alkyl-substituted azobenzene-4-carboxylic acids are potent differentiation inducers of human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 to mature granulocytes. Their structure-activity relationships are very similar to those of other retinoidal benzoic acids which are generally represented by 4 and named retinobenzoic acids. The structure-activity relationships of azobenzenecarboxylic acids can also be applied to the known retinoid TTNPB (3). Thus, (E)-4-[2-(3,4-diisopropylphenyl)-1-propenyl]benzoic acid (St30 (28] and (E)-4-[2-(3-tert-butylphenyl)ethenyl]benzoic acid (St40 (29], the acyclic alkyl analogues of TTNPB, are nearly as active as retinoic acid. Among the oxidatively derived compounds (Az90, Ep series and Ox series) of azobenzene- or stilbenecarboxylic acids, Az90 (71) and Ep80 (61) have strong activities. However, all the bishydroxylated derivatives of TTNPB are inactive, while a diketo analogue Ox580 (69) has only weak potency. The activities of conformationally restricted compounds of TTNPB offer some information on the stereochemistry of the active form of these retinoidal compounds.

Base-catalyzed isomerization of retinoic acid. Synthesis and differentiation-inducing activities of 14-alkylated all-trans-, 13-cis-, and 20,14-retro-retinoic acids.

Retinoic acid (1) is isomerized regioselectively by excess amounts of lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) to give 20,14-retro-retinoic acid (3). Alkylation of the intermediate dianion of retinoic acid gave 14-alkylated derivatives of 3. By isomerization of the alkylated retro isomers under basic conditions, several 14-alkyl-all-trans- and -13-cis-retinoic acids were synthesized. The retinoidal activities of these derivatives were examined, based on the ability to induce differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60. 20,14-retro-Retinoic acid (3) is 1/50 as active as retinoic acid (1). Although 14-methyl-20,14-retro-retinoic acid (4) is as active as 3, the introduction of a 14-methyl group into all-trans- and 13-cis-retinoic acid resulted in decreased activity. Introduction of bulkier alkyl groups at the C-14 position caused the disappearance of the activity.

Retinobenzoic acids. 6. Retinoid antagonists with a heterocyclic ring.

Several candidate retinoid antagonists were designed on the basis of the ligand superfamily concept and synthesized. Retinoidal activities of these benzimidazole and benzodiazepine derivatives were examined by assay of differentiation-inducing activity on human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60. The parent benzimidazole derivative, 4-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8- tetramethylnaphth-[2,3-d]imidazol-2-yl)benzoic acid (7a), and related compounds with a small alkyl group instead of the hydrogen on the nitrogen (1N) atom of the imidazole ring exhibited retinoidal activity, and the potency strongly depended on the bulkiness of the substituent. The compounds having a phenyl or benzyl group on the nitrogen lacked differentiation-inducing activity on HL-60 cells and acted as antagonists to the potent retinoid 4-[(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8- tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl)carbamoyl]benzoic acid (Am80). Among the compounds possessing a seven-membered heterocyclic ring as a linking group, 4-(5H-7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-5,7,7,10,10- pentamethylbenzo[e]- naphtho[2,3-b][1,4]diazepin-13-yl)benzoic acid (16) also exhibited the antagonistic activity. The binding abilities of these compounds to retinoic acid receptors alpha and beta were consistent with their potency for the inhibition of HL-60 cell differentiation induced by the retinoid Am80.

Regulation of retinoidal actions by diazepinylbenzoic acids. Retinoid synergists which activate the RXR-RAR heterodimers.

In human HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells, diazepinylbenzoic acid derivatives can exhibit either antagonistic or synergistic effects on the differentiation-inducing activities of natural or synthetic retinoids, the activity depending largely on the nature of the substituents on the diazepine ring. Thus, a benzolog of the retinoid antagonist LE135 (6), 4-(13H-10,11,12,13-tetrahydro-10, 10,13,13,15-pentamethyldinaphtho[2,3-b][1,2-e]diazepin-7-yl) benzoic acid (LE540, 17), exhibits a 1 order of magnitude higher antagonistic potential than the parental LE135 (6). In contrast, 4-[5H-2,3-(2,5-dimethyl-2,5-hexano)-5-methyldibenzo[b,e] [1,4]diazepin-11-yl]-benzoic acid (HX600, 7), a structural isomer of the antagonistic LE135 (6), enhanced HL-60 cell differentiation induced by RAR agonists, such as Am80 (2). This synergistic effect was further increased for a thiazepine, HX630 (29), and an azepine derivative, HX640 (30); both synergized with Am80 (2) more potently than HX600 (7). Notably, the negative and positive effects of the azepine derivatives on retinoidal actions can be related to their RAR-antagonistic and RXR-agonistic properties, respectively, in the context of the RAR-RXR heterodimer.

Inhibition of ornithine decarboxylase induction by retinobenzoic acids in relation to their binding affinities to cellular retinoid-binding proteins.

Retinobenzoic acids induce differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60). Like retinoic acid, 14 retinobenzoic acids inhibited the induction of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) by teleocidin in mouse skin. The mechanism(s) of inhibition of ODC induction by 7 retinobenzoic acids, Am 80, Am 81, Am 580, Am 590, Am 68, Sa 80, and Ch 55 was compared with those by all-trans-retinoic acid and the arotinoid compound 19. Application of 114 nmol of Am 80, Am 81, Am 580, Am 590, Am 68, Sa 80, or Ch 55, 10 min before 11.4 nmol of teleocidin, resulted in 76.7%, 82.0%, 76.2%, 28.3%, 48.4%, 58.6%, and 85.1% inhibition of ODC induction, respectively. Since all-trans-retinoic acid and compound 19 were also inhibitory, we determined whether retinobenzoic acids bind to cellular retinoic acid-binding protein (CRABP) isolated from bovine adrenal glands. Am 80 and Am 580 inhibited the specific binding of 3H-retinoic acid to CRABP, but also showed less affinity than authentic unlabeled retinoic acid and compound 19. Am 81, Am 590, Am 68, Sa 80, and Ch 55 at up to 10 microM were not effective competitors of the binding of either 3H-retinoic acid or 3H-retinol. These results suggest that the inhibition of ODC induction can be mediated by pathways that do not involve CRABP or the cellular retinol-binding protein.

Correlation of differentiation-inducing activity of retinoids on human leukemia cell lines HL-60 and NB4.

Retinoids, including all-trans-retinoic acid, its isomers, and fifty synthetic retinoids (retinobenzoic acids), were tested for differentiation-inducing activity on human leukemia cell lines HL-60 and NB4. A good linear correlation, with an r value of 0.91, between the ED50 values for the differentiation-inducing activity towards HL-60 cells and that towards NB4 cells was found.

Inhibition by retinoids of antigen-induced IL-4 production in rat mast cell line RBL-2H3.

The retinoic acid receptor (RAR) agonists, Re80 and Am80, partially inhibited the antigen-induced IL-4 production by rat mast cell line RBL-2H3 in a concentration-dependent manner (0.1 to 1000 nM). Both Re80 and Am80 also reduced the antigen-induced increase in IL-4 mRNA levels. The RAR antagonist LE540 at 4 microM reversed Re80 (100 nM)- and Am80 (100 nM)-induced inhibition of IL-4 production. The retinoid X receptor agonist HX600 (1 microM) by itself did not affect IL-4 production, but enhanced the inhibitory effect of Re80 (10 nM) and of Am80 (10 nM). Cyclosporin A suppressed the antigen-induced IL-4 production almost completely at 0.3 microM. These findings indicated that the antigen-induced IL-4 production by RBL-2H3 cells is partially inhibited by retinoids via RAR-dependent mechanisms.

[Novel synthetic retinoid agonists and antagonists].

Retinoic acid acts as a specific modulator of cellular differentiation and proliferation. Its natural and synthetic analogs, classified as retinoids, can be applied to the chemotherapy in the field of dermatology and oncology. Various benzoic acid derivatives exhibited the specific biological responses of retinoic acid and were named retinobenzoic acids. Especially, the aromatic amides such as Am80 and Am580 have better therapeutic effects than retinoic acid. N-Methylation of these highly active aromatic secondary amides caused the disappearance of the activity due to the change of the amide conformation from trans into cis. From such observations, the conformation of the linking group between alkyl-substituted benzene ring and benzoic acid moiety is an important factor for the activity. Some retinobenzoic acids do not bind to the cellular-retinoic acid-binding protein, but bind to nuclear retinoic acid receptors (RARs) with the binding affinity corresponding to the potency of their biological activities. Among them, Am80 can bind to two of the three RAR subtypes (RAR alpha and beta). The selectivity is favorable for the clinical application of retinoid since it has possibility to elicit a part of a number of the biological activities of retinoic acid.

[Retinoid antagonists].

Retinoids, retinoic acid and its bioisosters, regulate many biological functions such as cell differentiation, proliferation and embryonic development in vertebrates, through binding to and activating their specific nuclear receptors. There are two classes of nuclear receptors for retinoids, retinoic acid receptors (RAR alpha, beta, gamma) and retinoid X receptors (RXR alpha, beta, gamma). Several retinoid antagonists, which bind to but not activate RARs, have been reported. Among them, 4-(5H-7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-5,7,7,10,10-pentamethylbenzo[e]naphtho [2,3-b][1,4]diazepin-13-yl)benzoic acid (LE135, 20) is a RAR beta-selective retinoid antagonist. Structure-activity relationships of LE135 (20) showed that the naphthalenyl analogs [LE540 (21) and LE550 (22)] are more potent retinoid antagonists in HL-60 assay. Contrary to the antagonistic activity of LE135 (20), an isomer of LE135 (20), 4-[5H-2,3-(2,5-dimethyl-2,5-hexano)-5-methyldibenzo- [b,e][1,4]diazepin-11-yl)benzoic acid (HX600, 39) enhanced the activities of retinoids. Although the synergistic activity of HX600 (39) can be explained by the binding to RXRs and the further activation of RAR/RXR heterodimer activated by retinoid (RAR ligand), the significantly different biological character of HX600 (39) from the typical RXR-selective ligand suggested the possibility of the participation of other nuclear receptors or cofactors in the retinoid synergism.

[Stereochemistry of benzanilides and N-methylbenzanilides].

Conformations of benzanilide , N-methylbenzanilide and those with a methyl group(s) ortho to the amide bond in solution and in the crystal have been studied. N-Methylbenzanilide exists in cis-amide (E) form in the crystal. In CDCl3 solution, cis-amide form is also predominant (99%), while benzanilide exists in trans-amide (Z) form in the crystal and in solution. In the crystal, all the methyl-substituted benzanilides exist in trans-amide conformation and the introduction of an ortho-methyl group(s) makes the interplanar angles of the aromatic rings and the amide group (Aramide) larger. N-Methylbenzanilides exist in cis form in the crystal except the compound which has four methyl groups ortho to the amide bond. For the N-methylbenzanilides, the effects of introduction of one or two ortho-methyl groups on the dihedral angles of Ar-amide are smaller than that for the secondary benzanilides. In solution, benzanilides exist exclusively in trans conformation except for the compound 12 which has a minor cis conformer (3%) in CDCl3, whereas N-methylbenzanilides exist in equilibrium between the major cis-form and the minor trans-form. The tetramethyl derivative exists in trans conformation in solution as observed in the crystal. For N-methylbenzanilides, an introduction of a methyl group(s) ortho to the amide bond seems to destabilize the cis-amide conformation in solution, resulting in an increased ratio of the trans-amide conformation.