Inhibition of Tpl2 kinase and TNF-α production with 1,7-naphthyridine-3-carbonitriles: Synthesis and structure–activity relationships

The synthesis and structure-activity studies of a series of 6-substituted-4-anilino-[1,7]-naphthyridine-3-carbonitriles as inhibitors of Tpl2 kinase are described. The early exploratory work described here may lead to the discovery of compounds with significant therapeutic potential for treating rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.