2-Arylpropionic Acid Pyrazolamides as Cannabinoid CB2 Receptor Inverse Agonists Endowed with Anti-Inflammatory Properties.

Among the most recent proposals regarding the mechanism of action of dipyrone, the modulation of cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 appears to be a promising hypothesis. In this context, the present work describes a series of five novel pyrazolamides (7-11) designed as molecular hybrids of dipyrone metabolites and NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and flurbiprofen. Target compounds were obtained in good overall yields (50-80%) by classical amide coupling between 4-aminoantipyrine and arylacetic or arylpropionic acids, followed in some cases by N-methylation of the amide group. The compounds presented good physicochemical properties in addition to stability to chemical (pH 2 and 7.4) and enzymatic (plasma esterases) hydrolysis and showed medium to high gastrointestinal and BBB permeabilities in the PAMPA assay. When subjected to functional testing on CB1- or CB2-transfected cells, compounds demonstrated an inverse agonist profile on CB2 receptors and the further characterization of compound LASSBio-2265 (11) revealed moderate binding affinity to CB2 receptor (Ki = 16 µM) with an EC50 = 0.36 µM (Emax = 63%). LASSBio-2265 (11) (at 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg p.o.) was investigated in the formalin test in mice and a remarkable analgesic activity in the late inflammatory phase was observed, suggesting it could be promising for the treatment of pain syndromes associated with chronic inflammatory diseases.

Comparative chemical and biological hydrolytic stability of homologous esters and isosteres.

Esters are one of the major functional groups present in the structures of prodrugs and bioactive compounds. Their presence is often associated with hydrolytic lability. In this paper, we describe a comparative chemical and biological stability of homologous esters and isosteres in base media as well as in rat plasma and rat liver microsomes. Our results provided evidence for the hydrolytic structure lability relationship and demonstrated that the hydrolytic stability in plasma and liver microsome might depend on carboxylesterase activity. Molecular modelling studies were performed in order to understand the experimental data. Taken together, the data could be useful to design bioactive compounds or prodrugs based on the correct choice of the ester subunit, addressing compounds with higher or lower metabolic lability.

Carbamoyl-N-aryl-imine-urea: a new framework to obtain a putative leishmanicidal drug-candidate.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected parasitic disease, and current treatment includes limitations of toxicity, variable efficacy, high costs and inconvenient doses and treatment schedules. Therefore, new leishmanicidal drugs are still an unquestionable medical need. In this paper we described the design conception of a new framework, the carbamoyl-N-aryl-imine-urea, to obtain putative leishmanicidal drug-candidates. Compounds 9a-e and 10a-e were designed and synthesized and their leishmanicidal activity was studied in comparison to pentamidine, miltefosine and meglumine antimoniate. The conformational profile of the new carbamoyl-N-aryl-imine-urea framework was investigated by X-ray diffraction studies, using compound 9a as a model. The plasma stability of this putative peptide mimetic subunit was studied for compound 10e (LASSBio-1736). Among the congeneric series, LASSBio-1736 was identified as a new antileishmanial drug-candidate, displaying plasma stability, cytotoxicity against amastigote forms of L. amazonensis and L. braziliensis, and leishmanicidal activity in a cutaneous leishmaniasis murine model, without preliminary evidence of hepatic or renal toxicity.

Reduction of cardiac and renal dysfunction by new inhibitor of DPP4 in diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND: Increased mortality due to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been associated with renal and/or cardiovascular dysfunction. Dipeptidyl dipeptidase-4 inhibitors (iDPP-4s) may exert cardioprotective effects through their pleiotropic actions via glucagon-like peptide 1-dependent mechanisms. In this study, the pharmacological profile of a new iDPP-4 (LASSBio-2124) was investigated in rats with cardiac and renal dysfunction induced by T2DM. METHODS: T2DM was induced in rats by 2 weeks of a high-fat diet followed by intravenous injection of streptozotocin. Metabolic disturbance and cardiac, vascular, and renal dysfunction were analyzed in the experimental groups. RESULTS: Sitagliptin and LASSBio-2124 administration after T2DM induction reduced elevated glucose levels to 319.8 ±â€¯13.2 and 279.7 ±â€¯17.8 mg/dL, respectively (p < 0.05). LASSBio-2124 also lowered the cholesterol and triglyceride levels from 76.8 ±â€¯8.0 to 42.7 ±â€¯3.2 mg/dL and from 229.7 ±â€¯25.4 to 100.7 ±â€¯17.1 mg/dL, in diabetic rats. Sitagliptin and LASSBio-2124 reversed the reduction of the plasma insulin level. LASSBio-2124 recovered the increased urinary flow in diabetic animals and reduced 24-h proteinuria from 23.7 ±â€¯1.5 to 13.3 ±â€¯2.8 mg (p < 0.05). It also reduced systolic and diastolic left-ventricular dysfunction in hearts from diabetic rats. CONCLUSION: The effects of LASSBio-2124 were superior to those of sitagliptin in the cardiovascular systems of T2DM rats. This new prototype showed promise for the avoidance of comorbidities in a T2DM experimental model, and thus may constitute an innovative therapeutic agent for the treatment of these conditions in the clinical field in future.

Homologation: A Versatile Molecular Modification Strategy to Drug Discovery.

Homologation is a concept introduced by Gerhard in 1853 to describe a homologous series in organic chemistry. Since then, the concept has been adapted and used in medicinal chemistry as one of the most important strategies for molecular modification. The homologation types, their influence on physico-chemical properties and molecular conformation are presented and discussed. Its application in lead-identification and lead optimization steps, as well as its impact on pharmacodynamics/pharmacokinetic properties and on protein structure is highlighted from selected examples. • Homologation: definition and types • Homologous series in nature • Comparative physico-chemical and conformational properties • Application in lead-identification and lead-optimization • Impact on pharmacodynamic property • Impact on pharmacokinetic property • Impact on protein structure • Concluding remarks • Acknowledgment • References.

N-Acylhydrazones as drugs.

Over the last two decades, N-acylhydrazone (NAH) has been proven to be a very versatile and promising motif in drug design and medicinal chemistry. Herein, we discuss the current and future challenges in the emergence of bioactive NAH-based scaffolds and to developing strategies to overcome the failures in drug discovery. The NAH-related approved drugs nitrofurazone, nitrofurantoin, carbazochrome, testosterone 17-enanthate 3-benzilic acid hydrazine, nifuroxazide, dantrolene, and azumolene are already used as therapeutics in various countries. PAC-1 is an NAH-based therapeutic agent that entered clinical trials in 2015. Another NAH-derived scaffold, LASSBio-294, is in preclinical trials. This review highlights the detailed comprehensive assessment and therapeutic landscape of bioactive NAH motif scaffolds in preclinical and clinical studies published to date and their promise and associated challenges in current and future drug discovery of NAH-based drugs that will progress to clinical use.

Synthesis, X-ray diffraction study and pharmacological evaluation of 3-amino-4-methylthiophene-2-acylcarbohydrazones.

N-acylhydrazone is an interesting privileged structure that has been used in the molecular design of a myriad of bioactive compounds. In order to identify new antinociceptive drug candidates, we described herein the design, synthesis, X-ray diffraction study and the pharmacological evaluation of a series of 3-amino-4-methylthiophene-2-acylcarbohydrazone derivatives (8a-t). Compounds were prepared in good overall yields through divergent synthesis from a common key intermediate and were characterized by classical spectroscopy methods. X-ray diffraction study was employed for unequivocal determination of the imine double bond stereochemistry. 8a-t were evaluated in vivo through oral administration using the classical writhing test in mice. N-acylhydrazone derivatives 8j and 8l displayed relative potency similar to dipyrone, highlighting them as promising analgesic lead-candidates for further investigation.

Oxidative imbalance in mice intoxicated by microcystin-LR can be minimized.

Microcystins-LR (MC-LR) is a cyanotoxin produced by cyanobacteria. We evaluated the antioxidant potential of LASSBio-596 (LB-596, inhibitor of phosphodiesterases 4 and 5), per os, and biochemical markers involved in lung and liver injury induced by exposure to sublethal dose of MC-LR. Fifty male Swiss mice received an intraperitoneal injection of 60 µL of saline (CTRL group, n = 20) or a sublethal dose of MC-LR (40 µg/kg, TOX group, n = 20). After 6 h the animals received either saline (TOX and CTRL groups) or LB-596 (50 mg/kg, TOX + LASS group, n = 10) by gavage. At 6 h after exposure, respiratory mechanics was evaluated in 10 CTRL and 10 TOX mice: there was a significant increase of all lung mechanics parameters (static elastance, viscoelastic component of elastance and lung resistive and viscoelastic/inhomogeneous pressures) in TOX compared to CTRL. 8 h after saline or MC-LR administration, i.e., 2 h after treatment with LB-596, blood serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and content of malondialdehyde and carbonyl in lung and liver, NADPH oxidase 2 and 4 mRNA expressions, dual oxidase enzyme activity and H2O2 generation were analyzed in lung homogenates. All parameters were significantly higher in TOX than in the other groups. There was no significant difference between CTRL and TOX + LASS. MC-LR deteriorated lung and liver functions and induced redox imbalance in them, which was prevented by oral administration of LB-596.

Discovery of naphthyl-N-acylhydrazone p38α MAPK inhibitors with in vivo anti-inflammatory and anti-TNF-α activity.

Protein kinases constitute attractive therapeutic targets for development of new prototypes to treat different chronic diseases. Several available drugs, like tinibs, are tyrosine kinase inhibitors; meanwhile, inhibitors of serine/threonine kinases, such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), are still trying to overcome some problems in one of the steps of clinical development to become drugs. So, here we reported the synthesis, the in vitro kinase inhibitory profile, docking studies, and the evaluation of anti-inflammatory profile of new naphthyl-N-acylhydrazone derivatives using animal models. Although all tested compounds (3a-d) have been characterized as p38α MAPK inhibitors and have showed in vivo anti-inflammatory action, LASSBio-1824 (3b) presented the best performance as p38α MAPK inhibitor, with IC50  = 4.45 µm, and also demonstrated to be the most promising anti-inflammatory prototype, with good in vivo anti-TNF-α profile after oral administration.

The antithrombotic and haemostatic effects of LASSBio-752: a synthetic, orally active compound in an arterial and venous thrombosis model in rats.

OBJECTIVES: In this work, we further investigated the effect of the compound LASSBio-752 in thrombosis models in rats. METHODS: Arterial and venous thrombosis model, ex-vivo recalcification time and aPTT and PT. KEY FINDINGS: In the venous thrombosis model, oral administration of LASSBio-752 [48.2 mg (100 µmol)/kg] one hour before the thrombus induction decreased thrombus weight by 37 ± 0.2%. Interestingly, the antithrombotic action of this compound [48.2 mg (100 µmol)/kg] occurred at 87.5 ± 2.1% of inhibition after 24 h of administration and showed a lasting activity. When tested on the arterial thrombosis model, after a 1-h interval, there was already an increase in time to total occlusion of 34 ± 2.4 min, but the greatest effect was observed at intervals between 6 and 15 h of administration, when no occlusion of the artery was observed. The antithrombotic effect was reduced after 24 h when the occlusion time was 23.8 ± 2.3 min, close to that of the control, 17.6 ± 2.0 min. We also observed that bleeding was not excessive in any of the intervals tested. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that compound LASSBio-752 is a potential candidate for utilization in the treatment of thromboembolic diseases.

Synthesis, Biological Evaluation and Molecular Docking of New Benzenesulfonylhydrazone as Potential anti-Trypanosoma cruzi Agents.

BACKGROUND: Chagas disease is a public health problem caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. Cruzain is a pharmacological target for designing a new drug against this parasite. Hydrazone and Nacylhydrazone derivatives have been traditionally associated as potential Cruzain inhibitors. Additionally, benzenesulfonyl derivatives show trypanocidal activity. Therefore, in this study, the combination of both structures has been taken into account for drug design. METHODS: Seven benzenesulfonylhydrazone (BS-H) and seven N-propionyl benzenesulfonylhydrazone (BS-NAH) derivatives were synthetized and elucidated by infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and elemental analysis. All compounds were evaluated biologically in vitro against two strains of Trypanosoma cruzi (NINOA and INC-5), which are endemic in Mexico, and compared with the reference drugs nifurtimox and benznidazole. In order to gain insight into the putative molecular origin of the trypanocidal properties of these derivatives, docking studies were carried out with Cruzain. RESULTS: Compounds 4 and 6 (BS-H) and 10, 12-14 (BS-NAH) showed the best biological activity against NINOA and INC-5 strains, respectively. Compound 13 was the most potent trypanocidal compound showing a LC50 of 0.06 µM against INC-5 strain. However, compound 4 showed the best activity against both strains (LC50 <30 µM). Theoretical binding modes obtained suggested covalent binding that could explain their biological activity. CONCLUSION: Benzenesulfonyl and N-propionyl benzenesulfonyl hydrazone derivatives are good options for developing new trypanocidal agents. Particularly, compound 4 could be considered a lead compound.

Therapeutic effects of LASSBio-596 in an elastase-induced mouse model of emphysema.

Emphysema is an intractable pulmonary disease characterized by an inflammatory process of the airways and lung parenchyma and ongoing remodeling process in an attempt to restore lung structure. There is no effective drug therapy that regenerates lung tissue or prevents the progression of emphysema; current treatment is aimed at symptomatic relief. We hypothesized that LASSBio-596, a molecule with potent anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, might reduce pulmonary inflammation and remodeling and thus improve lung function in experimental emphysema. Emphysema was induced in BALB/c mice by intratracheal administration of porcine pancreatic elastase (0.1 IU) once weekly during 4 weeks. A control group received saline using the same protocol. After the last instillation of saline or elastase, dimethyl sulfoxide, or LASSBio-596 were administered intraperitoneally, once daily for 8 days. After 24 h, in elastase-induced emphysema animals, LASSBio-596 yielded: (1) decreased mean linear intercept, hyperinflation and collagen fiber content, (2) increased elastic fiber content, (3) reduced number of M1 macrophages, (4) decreased tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1ß, interleukin-6, and transforming growth factor-ß protein levels in lung tissue, and increased vascular endothelial growth factor. These changes resulted in increased static lung elastance. In conclusion, LASSBio-596 therapy reduced lung inflammation, airspace enlargement, and small airway wall remodeling, thus improving lung function, in this animal model of elastase-induced emphysema.

Design, synthesis and in vitro trypanocidal and leishmanicidal activities of novel semicarbazone derivatives.

Trypanosomatids are protozoan parasites that cause various diseases in human, such as leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and sleeping sickness. The highly syntenic genomes of the trypanosomatid species lead the assumption that they can encode similar proteins, indicating the possibility to design new antitrypanosomatid drugs with dual trypanosomicidal and leishmanicidal activities. In this work a series of compounds (6a-h and 7a-h), containing a semicarbazone scaffold as a peptide mimetic framework, was designed and synthesized. From this series compound 7g (LASSBio-1483) highlighted, showing dual in vitro trypanosomicidal and leishmanicidal activities, with potency similar to the standard drugs nifurtimox and pentamidine. This data, taken together with its good in silico druglikeness profile and its great chemical and plasma stability, make LASSBio-1483 (7g) a new antitrypanosomatid lead-candidate.

N-acylhydrazone derivative ameliorates monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension through the modulation of adenosine AA2R activity.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disease that results in right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. While pulmonary vascular disease is the primary pathological focus, RV hypertrophy and RV dysfunction are the major determinants of prognosis in PAH. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of (E)-N'-(3,4-dimethoxybenzylidene)-4-methoxybenzohydrazide (LASSBio-1386), an N-acylhydrazone derivative, on the lung vasculature and RV dysfunction induced by experimental PAH. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were injected with a single dose (60mg/kg, i.p.) of monocrotaline (MCT) and given LASSBio-1386 (50mg/kg, p.o.) or vehicle for 14 days. The hemodynamic, exercise capacity (EC), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR), sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA2a), phospholamban (PLB) expression, Ca(2+)-ATPase activity and vascular activity of LASSBio-1386 were evaluated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The RV systolic pressure was elevated in the PAH model and reduced from 49.6 ± 5.0 mm Hg (MCT group) to 27.2 ± 2.1 mm Hg (MCT+LASSBio-1386 group; P<0.05). MCT administration also impaired the EC, increased the RV and pulmonary arteriole size, and promoted endothelial dysfunction of the pulmonary artery rings. In the PAH group, the eNOS, A2AR, SERCA2a, and PLB levels were changed compared with the control; in addition, the Ca(2+)-ATPase activity was reduced. These alterations were related with MCT-injected rats, and LASSBio-1386 had favorable effects that prevented the development of PAH. LASSBio-1386 is effective at preventing endothelial and RV dysfunction in PAH, a finding that may have important implications for ongoing clinical evaluation of A2AR agonists for the treatment of PAH.

Hybrid furoxanyl N-acylhydrazone derivatives as hits for the development of neglected diseases drug candidates.

Neglected diseases represent a major health problem. It is estimated that one third of the world population is infected with tuberculosis and additionally Leishmaniosis and Chagas disease affect approximately 30 million people. N-Acylhydrazone moiety is a repeated functional group present in several prototypes and drug candidates for these neglected diseases. On the other hand, furoxan system has been studied as pharmacophore for Leishmaniosis and Chagas diseases. Here we report on the design and preparation of forty hybrid furoxanyl N-acylhydrazones and on their activity on Mycobacterium tuberculosis, H37Rv and MDR strains, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leishmania amazonensis. Among them, four derivatives displayed excellent to good selectivity indexes against the three different microorganisms. Hybrid compound N'-(4-phenyl-3-furoxanylmethylidene)isoniazide 9 showed the best antibacterial profile with MIC value 4.5 lesser than the value for the reference isoniazid against MDR strain. Furoxanyl N-acylhydrazone (E)-2-methyl-N'-(4-phenyl-3-furoxanylmethylidene)-4H-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-carbohydrazide 15 was ten-fold more potent against T. cruzi Amastigotes than the standard drug nifurtimox. On the other hand, derivatives (E)-N'-(5-benzofuroxanylmethylidene)benzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-carbohydrazide 25 and (E)-N'-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylmethylidene)-3-methylfuroxan-4-carbohydrazide 37 emerged as leads for the development of new leishmanicidal agents. The adequate stability, in simulated biological system and plasma, and the lack of mutagenicity of these derivatives allow us to propose them as candidates for further pre-clinical studies.

Docking, synthesis and anti-diabetic activity of novel sulfonylhydrazone derivatives designed as PPAR-gamma agonists.

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia. When not properly controlled, complications include neuropathy, coronary artery disease, and renal failure. Several drugs are approved for diabetes treatment; however their use is associated with side effects and lack of efficacy in attenuating the development of long-term complications. This work describes the virtual screening and synthesis of a novel series of sulfonylhydrazone derivatives designed as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonists and investigation of the analogs for hypoglycemic activity in a murine model of diabetes. Docking studies identified LASSBio-331 (5) as having theoretical affinity for PPARγ similar to the prototype (S)-rosiglitazone. Several structural modifications were proposed for the structure of LASSBio-331, resulting in the synthesis of five novel compounds, which showed experimental affinity for PPARγ. Among these new compounds, LASSBio-1471 (15) had the best theoretical binding energy for PPARγ and was selected for testing in STZ-induced diabetes. Four weeks after single intravenous injection of STZ (60 mg/kg), Wistar rats were treated with vehicle (DMSO) or LASSBio-1471 (20 mg/kg, i.p.) for 7 days. The blood glucose levels of rats treated with LASSBio-1471 were reduced from 548.4 ± 26.0 mg/dL before treatment to 259.6 ± 73.1 mg/dL (P < 0.05). Paw withdrawal threshold was significantly reduced in diabetic rats and was restored from 21.9 ± 1.7 g to 36.7 ± 1.2 g after 7 days of treatment with LASSBio-1471 (P < 0.05). Thus, the novel sulfonylhydrazone derivative is a PPARγ ligand that is effective for treatment of diabetic neuropathy in STZ-injected rats.

Structural and functional characterization of a multifunctional alanine-rich peptide analogue from Pleuronectes americanus.

Recently, defense peptides that are able to act against several targets have been characterized. The present work focuses on structural and functional evaluation of the peptide analogue Pa-MAP, previously isolated as an antifreeze peptide from Pleuronectes americanus. Pa-MAP showed activities against different targets such as tumoral cells in culture (CACO-2, MCF-7 and HCT-116), bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923), viruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2) and fungi (Candida parapsilosis ATCC 22019, Trichophyton mentagrophytes (28d&E) and T. rubrum (327)). This peptide did not show toxicity against mammalian cells such as erythrocytes, Vero and RAW 264.7 cells. Molecular mechanism of action was related to hydrophobic residues, since only the terminal amino group is charged at pH 7 as confirmed by potentiometric titration. In order to shed some light on its structure-function relations, in vitro and in silico assays were carried out using circular dichroism and molecular dynamics. Furthermore, Pa-MAP showed partial unfolding of the peptide changes in a wide pH (3 to 11) and temperature (25 to 95°C) ranges, although it might not reach complete unfolding at 95°C, suggesting a high conformational stability. This peptide also showed a conformational transition with a partial α-helical fold in water and a full α-helical core in SDS and TFE environments. These results were corroborated by spectral data measured at 222 nm and by 50 ns dynamic simulation. In conclusion, data reported here show that Pa-MAP is a potential candidate for drug design against pathogenic microorganisms due to its structural stability and wide activity against a range of targets.

Discovery of new orally effective analgesic and anti-inflammatory hybrid furoxanyl N-acylhydrazone derivatives.

We report the design, the synthesis and the biological evaluation of the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of furoxanyl N-acylhydrazones (furoxanyl-NAH) by applying molecular hybridization approach. Hybrid compounds with IL-8-release inhibition capabilities were identified. Among them, furoxanyl-NAH, 17, and benzofuroxanyl-derivative, 24, together with furoxanyl-NAH derivative, 31, without IL-8 inhibition displayed both orally analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. These hybrid derivatives do not have additional LOX- or COX-inhibition activities. For instance, LOX-inhibition by furoxanyl-NAH derivative, 42, emerged as a structural lead to develop new inhibitors. The lack of mutagenicity of the active derivatives 17, 31, and 42, allow us to propose them as candidates for further clinical studies. These results confirmed the success in the exploitation of hybridization strategy for identification of novel N-acylhydrazones (NAH) with optimized activities.

Synthesis, biological evaluation, and structure-activity relationship of clonazepam, meclonazepam, and 1,4-benzodiazepine compounds with schistosomicidal activity.

The inherent morbidity and mortality caused by schistosomiasis is a serious public health problem in developing countries. Praziquantel is the only drug in therapeutic use, leading to a permanent risk of parasite resistance. In search for new schistosomicidal drugs, meclonazepam, the 3-methyl-derivative of clonazepam, is still considered an interesting lead-candidate because it has a proven schistosomicidal effect in humans but adverse effects on the central nervous system did not allow its clinical use. Herein, the synthesis, in vitro biological evaluation, and molecular modeling of clonazepam, meclonazepam, and analogues are reported to establish the first structure-activity relationship for schistosomicidal benzodiazepines. Our findings indicate that the amide moiety [N(1) H-C(2) (=O)] is the principal pharmacophoric unit of 1,4-benzodiazepine schistosomicidal compounds and that substitution on the amide nitrogen atom (N(1) position) is not tolerated.

Anti-inflammatory effects of LASSBio-998, a new drug candidate designed to be a p38 MAPK inhibitor, in an experimental model of acute lung inflammation.

We investigated the effects of LASSBio-998 (L-998), a compound designed to be a p38 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) inhibitor, on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung inflammation in vivo. BALB/c mice were challenged with aerosolized LPS inhalation (0.5 mg/ml) 4 h after oral administration of L-998. Three hours after LPS inhalation, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was obtained to measure the levels of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α) and IL-1 (interleukin-1) and the chemokines MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and KC (keratinocyte chemoattractant). In addition, neutrophil infiltration and p38 MAPK phosphorylation was measured. L-998 inhibited LPS-induced production of TNF-α and IL-1ß and did not alter KC and MCP-1 levels. Furthermore, L-998 also significantly decreased neutrophil accumulation in lung tissues. As expected, L-998 diminished p38 MAPK phosphorylation and reduced acute lung inflammation. Inhibition of p38 MAPK phosphorylation by L-998 was also demonstrated in LPS-challenged murine C57BL/6 peritoneal macrophages in vitro, with concentration-dependent effects. L-998 suppressed LPS-induced lung inflammation, most likely by inhibition of the cytokine-p38 MAPK pathway, and we postulate that L-998 could be a clinically relevant anti-inflammatory drug candidate.