Pharmaceutical compositions for inhibition of cytokine production and secretion

A method for inhibiting cytokine production and/or secretion, the method comprising administering an effective amount of a compound having the formula:

• ##STR4## where X and X' are individually carbon or nitrogen bonded to a substituent species characterized as having a sigma m value greater than 0, less than 0 or 0, A, A' and A" individually are substituent species characterized as having a sigma m value greater than 0, less than 0 or 0;
• B' is selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen-containing moiety, sulfur,
• --(CE'E")--(CE'E")--,
• --CE'E"--X"--, ##STR5##
• --C.tbd.C--
• wherein X" is oxygen, nitrogen-containing or sulfur;
• m is an integer and n is an integer such that the sum of m plus n is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8;
• E.sup.I, E.sup.II, E.sup.III, E.sup.IV, E.sup.V and E.sup.VI individually represent hydrogen, lower alkyl or halo substituted lower alkyl;
• Z' and Z" individually are hydrogen or lower alkyl;
• and the wavy line in the structural moiety indicates that the compound can have a cis (Z) or trans (E) form.