Suppression of LPS-induced NF-κB activity in macrophages by the synthetic aurone, (Z)-2-((5-(hydroxymethyl) furan-2-yl) methylene) benzofuran-3(2H)-one.

Suppressing cytokine responses has frequently been shown to have promising therapeutic effects for many chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, the severe side effects associated with the long-term use of current treatments, such as allergic reactions and increased risk of stroke, have focused attention towards the targeting of intracellular signaling mechanisms, such as NF-κB, that regulate inflammation. We synthesized a series of non-natural aurone derivatives and investigated their ability to suppress pro-inflammatory signaling in human monocyte (THP-1) and murine macrophage-like (RAW 267.