| Summary: | For many inflammatory diseases, new effective drugs with fewer side effects are needed. While it appears promising to target the activation of the central pro-inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB, many previously discovered agents suffered from cytotoxicity. In this study, new alkylthiourea quinazoline derivatives were developed that selectively inhibit the activation of NF-κB in macrophage-like THP−1 cells while showing low general cytotoxicity. One of the best compounds, <b>19</b>, strongly inhibited the production of IL-6 (IC<sub>50</sub> = 0.84 µM) and, less potently, of TNFα (IC<sub>50</sub> = 4.0 µM); in comparison, the reference compound, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), showed IC<sub>50</sub>s of 1.1 and 11.4 µM, respectively. Interestingly, <b>19</b> was found to block the translocation of the NF-κB dimer to the nucleus, although its release from the IκB complex was unaffected. Furthermore, <b>19</b> suppressed the phosphorylation of NF-κB-p65 at Ser468 but not at Ser536; however, <b>19</b> did not inhibit any kinase involved in NF-κB activation. The only partial suppression of p65 phosphorylation might be associated with fewer side effects. Since several compounds selectively induced cell death in activated macrophage-like THP−1 cells, they might be particularly effective in various inflammatory diseases that are exacerbated by excess activated macrophages, such as arteriosclerosis and autoimmune diseases.
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