The p38 MAP kinases are a family of serine/threonine protein kinases that play important roles in cellular responses to external stress signals. Since their identification about 10 years ago, much has been learned of the activation and regulation of the p38 MAP kinase pathways. Inhibitors of two members of the p38 family have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in preclinical disease models, primarily through the inhibition of the expression of inflammatory mediators. Several promising compounds have also progressed to clinical trials. In this review, we provide an overview of the role of p38 MAP kinases in stress-activated pathways and the progress towards clinical development of p38 MAP kinase inhibitors in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

p38 MAP kinases: key signalling molecules as therapeutic targets for inflammatory diseases.

Recent years have seen considerable advances in our understanding of both the clinical and basic-research aspects of rheumatoid arthritis. Clinical progress has come from a better recognition of the natural history of the disease, the development and validation of outcome measures for clinical trials and, consequently, innovative trial designs. In parallel, basic research has provided clues to the pathogenic events underlying rheumatoid arthritis, and advances in biotechnology have facilitated the development of new classes of therapeutics. Here, we summarize the fruits of these advances: innovative approaches to the use of existing, traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; novel agents approved very recently; and further avenues that are presently under investigation or which are of more distant promise.

Therapeutic strategies for rheumatoid arthritis

Chemoinformatics draws upon techniques from many disciplines including computer science, mathematics, computational chemistry and data visualisation to tackle these problems. This, the first text written specifically for this field, aims to provide an introduction to the major techniques of chemoinformatics. The first part of the book deals with the representation of 2D and 3D molecular structures, the calculation of molecular descriptors and the construction of mathematical models. The second part describes other important topics including molecular similarity and diversity, the analysis of large data sets, virtual screening, and library design. Simple illustrative examples are used throughout to illustrate key concepts, supplemented with case studies from the literature. The book is aimed at graduate students, final-year undergraduates, and professional scientists. No prior knowledge is assumed other than a familiarity with chemistry and some basic mathematical concepts.

/pdf/an-introduction-to-chemoinformatics-pjzgjdwjov.pdf

An Introduction to Chemoinformatics

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which imbalances in pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines promote the induction of autoimmunity, inflammation and joint destruction. The importance of inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of RA has been underscored by the success of biologics that act to block the effects of cytokines, such as tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1 or IL-6, in treating disease. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) have been implicated as playing key regulatory roles in the production of these pro-inflammatory cytokines and downstream signalling events leading to joint inflammation and destruction. This article reviews the evidence that MAPKs play important roles in the pathogenesis of RA and discusses their therapeutic potential as drug targets.

/pdf/mapks-and-their-relevance-to-arthritis-and-inflammation-3v8yb12f4d.pdf

MAPKs and their relevance to arthritis and inflammation

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated transcription factors that are involved in regulating glucose and lipid homeostasis, inflammation, proliferation and differentiation. Although all of these functions might contribute to the influence of PPARs in carcinogenesis, there is a distinct need for a review of the literature and additional experimentation to determine the potential for targeting PPARs for cancer therapy and cancer chemoprevention. As PPAR agonists include drugs that are used for the treatment of metabolic diseases, a more complete understanding of the roles of PPARs in cancer will aid in determining any increased cancer risk for patients undergoing therapy with PPAR agonists.

http://lecorpdocs.le-corp.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ALL%20ARTICLES/Peters%202012-%20%20The%20Role%20of%20PPARs%20in%20carcinogenesis%20and%20chemoprevention.pdf

The role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors in carcinogenesis and chemoprevention

This invention is directed to diaryl acid derivatives of formula (I) and their pharmaceutical compositions as PPAR ligand receptor binders. The PPAR ligand receptor binders of this invention are useful as agonists or antagonists of the PPAR receptor wherein: (a) and (b) are independently aryl, fused arylcycloalkenyl, fused arylcycloalkyl, fused arylheterocyclenyl, fused arylheterocyclyl, heteroaryl, fused heteroarylcycloalkenyl, fused heteroarylcycloalkyl, fused heteroarylheterocyclenyl, or fused heteroarylheterocyclyl; A is -O-, -S-, -SO-, SO2-, -NR13-, -C(O)-, -N(R14)C(O)-, -C(O)N(R15)-, -N(R14)C(O)N(R15)-, -C(R14)=N-, (c), (d), (e), a chemical bond, (f) or (g), B is -O-, -S-, -NR19- a chemical bond, -C(O)-, -N(R20)C(O)-, or -C(O)N(R20)-; Z is R21O2C-, R21OC-, cyclo-imide, -CN, R21O2SHNCO-, R21O2SHN-, (R21)2NCO-, R21O-2,4-thiazolidinedionyl, or tetrazolyl.

Di-aryl-acid derivatives as PPAR receptor ligands

Regulation of two members of the steroid-inducible cytochrome P450 subfamily (3A) in rats.

The discovery of RPR 200765A, a p38 MAP kinase inhibitor displaying a good oral anti-arthritic efficacy.

Thiazolidinedione PPARγ agonists (troglitazone and rosiglitazone) were previously shown to promote colon tumor formation in C57BL/6JAPC min /+ mice, a model for human familial adenomatous polyposis. This study was conducted to determine if another thiazolidinedione PPARγ agonist, pioglitazone, and a PPARγ agonist structurally unrelated to the thiazolidinedione family, NID525, (a tetrazole-substituted phenoxymethylquinolone), would also promote colon tumors in this mouse model. Mice were treated in-feed with the thiazolidinediones troglitazone (150 mg/kg/day), rosiglitazone (20 mg/kg/day), or pioglitazone (150 mg/kg/day), or with NID525 (150 mg/kg/day) for 8 weeks. An increased incidence in colon tumors compared to controls was observed for all of the thiazolidinedione-treated groups as well as the NID525-treated group. These results indicate that the tumor-promoting effect of PPARγ agonists in the colon of C57BL/6J-APC min /+ mice is likely related to the pharmacological activity of this group of drugs and not the thiazolidinedione structure.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01926230490261320

Jayyosi Zaid

Papers

Di-aryl-acid derivatives as PPAR receptor ligands

Regulation of two members of the steroid-inducible cytochrome P450 subfamily (3A) in rats.

The discovery of RPR 200765A, a p38 MAP kinase inhibitor displaying a good oral anti-arthritic efficacy.

Promotion of Colon Tumors in C57BL/6J-APCmin/+ Mice by Thiazolidinedione PPARγ Agonists and a Structurally Unrelated PPARγ Agonist