Clinical trial of a leucotriene B4 receptor antagonist, BIIL 284, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Several clinical and experimental lines of evidence suggest that leucotriene B4 (LTB4), an arachidonic acid derivative with potent proinflammatory properties, plays a key role in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of BIIL 284, an oral long-acting LTB4 receptor antagonist, as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with active RA.

Methods: This was a multi-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of patients with active RA of 3 months' duration.

Anti-inflammatory effects of a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor during human endotoxemia.

The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) participates in intracellular signaling cascades resulting in inflammatory responses. Therefore, inhibition of the p38 MAPK pathway may form the basis of a new strategy for treatment of inflammatory diseases. However, p38 MAPK activation during systemic inflammation in humans has not yet been shown, and its functional significance in vivo remains unclear.