Natural product analogs including an anti-inflammatory cyanoenone pharmacore and methods of use

A compound of the formula:

• wherein:
• R1 and R2 are each independently:
• hydrogen;
• or
• alkyl(C≦12), alkenyl(C≦12), alkynyl(C≦12), aryl(C≦12), aralkyl(C≦12), heteroaryl(C≦12), heteroaralkyl(C≦12), acyl(C≦12), alkoxy(C≦12), aryloxy(C≦12), aralkoxy(C≦12), heteroaryloxy(C≦12), heteroaralkoxy(C≦12), acyloxy(C≦12), alkylamino(C≦12), dialkylamino(C≦12), arylamino(C≦12), aralkylamino(C≦12), hetero-arylamino(C≦12), heteroaralkylamino(C≦12), amido(C≦12), or a substituted version of any of these groups;
• or
• R1 and R2 are taken together and are alkanediyl(C≦12), alkenediyl(C≦12), alkanediyl(C≦12) or alkenediyl(C≦12);
• and
• R5 and R6 are each independently:
• hydrogen, hydroxy, halo, amino, hydroxyamino, nitro, cyano, azido, or mercapto;
• or
• alkyl(C≦12), alkenyl(C≦12), alkynyl(C≦12), aryl(C≦12), aralkyl(C≦12), heteroaryl(C≦12), heteroaralkyl(C≦12), acyl(C≦12), alkoxy(C≦12), alkenyloxy(C≦12), alkynyl-oxy(C≦12), aryloxy(C≦12), aralkoxy(C≦12), heteroaryloxy(C≦12), hetero-aralkoxy(C≦12), acyloxy(C≦12), alkylamino(C≦12), dialkylamino(C≦12), alkoxy-amino(C≦12), alkenylamino(C≦12), alkynylamino(C≦12), arylamino(C≦12), aralkylamino(C≦12), heteroarylamino(C≦12), heteroaralkylamino(C≦12), amido(C≦12), alkylsilyl(C≦12), alkylsilyloxy(C≦12), or a substituted version of any of these groups;
• or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, esters, tautomers, acetals, ketals, or optical isomers thereof.