Inhibition of irritation and contact hypersensitivity by phenoxyacetic acid methyl ester in mice

An efficient synthesis of aryloxyacetic acid and arylthioacetic acid esters

The esterification of the aryloxyacetic acid and arylthioacetic acid catalysed by silica sulfuric acid results aryloxyacetic acid and arylthioacetic acid ester in 83–94% yields respectively under mild reaction conditions.

AWD 12-281, a highly selective phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, is effective in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory reactions in a model of allergic dermatitis

AWD 12-281 (N-(3,5-dichloro-4-pyridinyl)-2-[1-(4-fluorobenzyl)-5-hydroxy-1H-indol-3-yl]-2-oxoacetamide), a phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, which is optimized for topical administration, was tested in a model of allergic dermatitis in mice. To obtain an allergic dermatitis, BALB/c mice were sensitized to toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI). The allergic reaction was challenged by topical administration of TDI onto the mice ears. AWD 12-281 was tested for its anti-inflammatory potential by oral, intraperitoneal and topical administration. The phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, cilomilast (SB 207499), and/or the corticosteroid, diflorasone diacetate, were used as reference compounds. Given orally and intraperitoneally 2 h before as well as 5 and 24 h after TDI challenge, AWD 12-281 showed no, or only a transient inhibition of the allergen-induced ear swelling, whereas cilomilast significantly inhibited this ear swelling. Applied topically onto the ears before TDI challenge, AWD 12-281, cilomilast and diflorasone diacetate caused total inhibition of ear swelling 24 h after challenge, confirmed by a decrease of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-4, interleukin-6 and macrophage inhibitory protein-2. Administered topically after TDI challenge as therapeutic intervention, AWD 12-281 and diflorasone diacetate caused significant inhibition of ear swelling; cilomilast failed to do so. These results indicate that topically administered AWD 12-281 may be potent in the prevention and treatment of allergic/inflammatory skin diseases.

Disease associations with autoimmune thyroid disease

Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) is common and occurs frequently in conjunction with other diseases. Many putative disease associations have been suggested for AITD but the validity of these associations is not clear in all cases. It is important to define disease associations correctly because this may offer a means to rationally screen for true associations, may shed light on shared pathophysiologic mechanisms and may be important if the associated disease impacts on patient management. This review has examined the evidence base for a large number of the suggested associations.