Chronic kidney diseases are based on uncontrolled immunological and inflammatory responses to pathophysiological renal circumstances such as glomerulonephritis, which is caused by immunological mechanisms of glomerular inflammation with increased production of renal pro-inflammatory cytokines. Pentoxifylline (PTX) exhibits anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting cytokine and chemokine production through aggregation of erythrocytes and thrombocytes. We synthesized a series of 1,7-substituted methylxanthine derivatives by the Traube purine reaction, and the formation of purine ring was completed through nitrosation, a reduction of the nitroso to the amine by catalytic hydrogenation as derivatives of PTX. Then we studied biological activities such as renal anti-inflammatory effects of the synthesized compounds in the production of cytokines such as nitric oxide (NO), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and of chemokines such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and IL-8 in Raw 264.7 and HK-2 cells. Renal antiinflammatory activities of this novel series of N-1 and N-7-substituted methylxanthine showed that the N-7 methyl-group-substituted analogs (S7b) showed selective 61% and 77% inhibition of the production of NO and IL-8. The other replacement of the N-1-(CH2)4COCH3 group, as in the case of compound S6c, also showed an effective 50% and 77% inhibition of TNF-α and IL-8 production in LPS-stimulated Raw 264.7 and HK-2 cells.

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