wherein each of q 1 and q 2 are independently selected from a phenyl or 5 - 6 membered aromatic heterocyclic ring system , or a 8 - 10 membered bicyclic ring system comprising aromatic carbocyclic rings , aromatic heterocyclic rings or a combination of an aromatic carbocyclic ring and an aromatic heterocyclic ring . the rings that make up q 1 are substituted with 1 to 4 substituents , each of which is independently selected from halo ; c 1 - c 3 alkyl optionally substituted with nr ′ 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′ or conr ′ 2 ; o —( c 1 - c 3 )- alkyl optionally substituted with nr ′ 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′ or conr ′ 2 ; nr ′ 2 ; ocf 3 ; cf 3 ; no 2 ; co 2 r ′; conr ′; sr ′; s ( o 2 ) n ( r ′) 2 ; scf 3 ; cn ; n ( r ′) c ( o ) r 4 ; n ( r ′) c ( o ) or 4 ; n ( r ′) c ( o ) c ( o ) r 4 ; n ( r ′) s ( o 2 ) r 4 ; n ( r ′) r 4 ; n ( r 4 ) 2 ; or 4 ; oc ( o ) r 4 ; op ( o ) 3 h 2 ; or n ═ c — n ( r ′) 2 . the rings that make up q 2 are optionally substituted with up to 4 substituents , each of which is independently selected from halo ; c 1 - c 3 straight or branched alkyl optionally substituted with nr ′ 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′, s ( o 2 ) n ( r ′) 2 , n ═ c — n ( r ′) 2 , r 3 , or conr ′ 2 ; o —( c 1 - c 3 )- alkyl ; o —( c 1 - c 3 )- alkyl optionally substituted with nr ′ 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′, s ( o 2 ) n ( r ′) 2 , n ═ c — n ( r ′) 2 , r 3 , or conr ′ 2 ; nr ′ 2 ; ocf 3 ; cf 3 ; no 2 ; co 2 r ′; conr ′; r 3 ; or 3 ; nr 3 ; sr 3 ; c ( o ) r 3 ; c ( o ) n ( r ′) r 3 ; c ( o ) or 3 ; sr ′; s ( o 2 ) n ( r ′) 2 ; scf 3 ; n ═ c — n ( r ′) 2 ; or cn . q 2 ′ is selected from phenyl or a 5 - 6 member aromatic heterocyclic ring optionally substituted with 1 - 3 substituents , each of which is independently selected from halogen ; c 1 - c 3 alkyl optionally substituted with nr ′ 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′, conr ′ 2 , or o — p ( o 3 ) h 2 ; o —( c 2 - c 3 )- alkyl optionally substituted with nr ′ 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′, conr ′ 2 , or op ( o 3 ) h 2 ; ocf 3 ; cf 3 ; or 4 ; o — co 2 r 4 ; o — p ( o 3 ) h 2 ; co 2 r ′; conr ′; sr ′; s ( o 2 ) n ( r ′) 2 ; scf 3 ; cn ; n ( r ′) c ( o ) r 4 ; n ( r ′) c ( o ) or 4 ; n ( r ′) c ( o ) c ( o ) r 4 ; n ( r ′) s ( o 2 ) r 4 ; n ( r ′) r 4 ; n ( r 4 ) 2 ; or 4 ; oc ( o ) r 4 ; op ( o ) 3 h 2 ; or n ═ c — n ( r ′) 2 ; provided that q 2 ′ is not phenyl optionally substituted 1 to 3 substituents independently selected from halo , methoxy , cyano , nitro , amino , hydroxy , methyl or ethyl . r ′ is selected from hydrogen ; ( c 1 - c 3 )- alkyl ; ( c 2 - c 3 )- alkenyl or alkynyl ; phenyl or phenyl substituted with 1 to 3 substituents independently selected from halo , methoxy , cyano , nitro , amino , hydroxy , methyl or ethyl ; or a 5 - 6 membered heterocyclic ring system optionally substituted with 1 to 3 substituents independently selected from halo , methoxy , cyano , nitro , amino , hydroxy , methyl or ethyl . r 3 is selected from 5 - 8 membered aromatic or non - aromatic carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring systems each optionally substituted with r ′, r 4 , — c ( o ) r ′, — c ( o ) r 4 , — c ( o ) or 4 or - j ; or an 8 - 10 membered bicyclic ring system comprising aromatic carbocyclic rings , aromatic heterocyclic rings or a combination of an aromatic carbocyclic ring and an aromatic heterocyclic ring each optionally substituted with r ′, r 4 , — c ( o ) r ′, — c ( o ) r 4 , — c ( o ) or 4 or - j . r 4 is ( c 1 - c 4 )- straight or branched alkyl optionally substituted with n ( r ′) 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′, con ( r ′) 2 , or so 2 n ( r 2 ) 2 ; or a 5 - 6 membered carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring system optionally substituted with n ( r ′) 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′, con ( r ′) 2 , or so 2 n ( r 2 ) 2 . r 5 is selected from hydrogen ; ( c 1 - c 3 )- alkyl optionally substituted with r 3 ; ( c 2 - c 3 )- alkenyl or alkynyl each optionally substituted with r 3 ; phenyl or phenyl substituted with 1 to 3 substituents independently selected from halo , methoxy , cyano , nitro , amino , hydroxy , methyl or ethyl ; or a 5 - 6 membered heterocyclic ring system optionally substituted with 1 to 3 substituents independently selected from halo , methoxy , cyano , nitro , amino , hydroxy , methyl or ethyl . w is selected from n ( r 2 ) so 2 — n ( r 2 ) 2 ; n ( r 2 ) so 2 — n ( r 2 )( r 3 ); n ( r 2 ) c ( o )— or 2 ; n ( r 2 ) c ( o )— n ( r 2 ) 2 ; n ( r 2 ) c ( o )— n ( r 2 )( r 3 ); n ( r 2 ) c ( o )— r 2 ; n ( r 2 ) 2 ; c ( o )— r 2 ; ch ( oh )— r 2 ; c ( o )— n ( r 2 ) 2 ; c ( o )— or 2 ; j ; or ( c 1 - c 4 ) straight or branched alkyl optionally substituted with n ( r ′) 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′, con ( r ′) 2 , r 3 , so 2 n ( r 2 ) 2 , oc ( o ) r 2 , oc ( o ) r ′, oc ( o ) n ( r 2 ) 2 , — n ( r 4 )( r 5 ), — c ( o ) n ( r 5 )( r 2 ), — c ( o ) r 5 , — n ( r 2 ) c ( o ) n ( r 2 )( r 5 ), — nc ( o ) or 5 , — oc ( o ) n ( r 2 )( r 5 ), or - j ; a 5 - 6 membered carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring system optionally substituted with n ( r ′) 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′, con ( r ′) 2 , or so 2 n ( r 2 ) 2 ; or a 8 - 10 membered carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring system optionally substituted with n ( r ′) 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′, con ( r ′) 2 , or so 2 n ( r 2 ) 2 ; provided that w is not an r 3 substituted c 1 alkyl . w ′ is selected from n ( r 2 )— so 2 - q 2 ; n ( r 2 )— co 2 - q 2 ; n ( r 2 )— c ( o )- q 2 ; n ( r 2 )( q 2 ); c ( o )- q 2 ; co 2 - q 2 ; c ( o ) n ( r 2 )( q 2 ); c ( r 2 ) 2 q 2 . each r is independently selected from hydrogen , — r 2 , — n ( r 2 ) 2 , — or 2 , sr 2 , — c ( o )— n ( r 2 ) 2 , — s ( o 2 )— n ( r 2 ) 2 , — c ( o )— or 2 or — c ( o ) r 2 wherein two adjacent r are optionally bound to one another and , together with each y to which they are respectively bound , form a 4 - 8 membered carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring . when the two r components form a ring together with the y components to which they are respectively bound , it will obvious to those skilled in the art that a terminal hydrogen from each unfused r component will be lost . for example , if a ring structure is formed by binding those two r components together , one being — nh — ch 3 and the other being — ch 2 — ch 3 , one terminal hydrogen on each r component ( indicated in bold ) will be lost . therefore , the resulting portion of the ring structure will have the formula — nh — ch 2 — ch 2 — ch 2 —. r 2 is selected from hydrogen , ( c 1 - c 3 )- alkyl , or ( c 1 - c 3 )- alkenyl ; each optionally substituted with — n ( r ′) 2 , — or ′, sr ′, — c ( o )— n ( r ′) 2 , — s ( o 2 )— n ( r ′) 2 , — c ( o )— or ′, — nso 2 r 4 , — nso 2 r 3 , — c ( o ) n ( r ′)( r 3 ), — nc ( o ) r 4 , — n ( r ′)( r 3 ), — n ( r ′)( r 4 ), — c ( o ) r 3 , — c ( o ) n ( r ′)( r 4 ) , — n ( r 4 ) 2 , — c ( o ) n ═ c ( nh ) 2 or r 3 . z is ch , n , c ( och 3 ), c ( ch 3 ), c ( nh 2 ), c ( oh ) or c ( f ). v is selected from — c ( o ) nh 2 , — p ( o )( nh 2 ) 2 , or — so 2 nh 2 . a , b , and c are independently selected from — o —, — chr ′—, — chr 4 —, — nr ′—, — nr 4 — or — s —. j is a ( c 1 - c 4 ) straight chain or branched alkyl derivative substituted with 1 - 3 substituents selected from d , - t - c ( o ) r ′, or — opo 3 h 2 . according to a preferred embodiment , q 1 is selected from phenyl or pyridyl containing 1 to 3 substituents , wherein at least one of said substituents is in the ortho position and said substituents are independently selected from chloro , fluoro , bromo , — ch 3 , — och 3 , — oh , — cf 3 , — ocf 3 , — o ( ch 2 ) 2 ch 3 , nh 2 , 3 , 4 - methylenedioxy , — n ( ch 3 ) 2 , — nh — s ( o ) 2 - phenyl , — nh — c ( o ) o — ch 2 - 4 - pyridine , — nh — c ( o ) ch 2 - morpholine , — nh — c ( o ) ch 2 — n ( ch 3 ) 2 , — nh — c ( o ) ch 2 - piperazine , — nh — c ( o ) ch 2 - pyrrolidine , — nh — c ( o ) c ( o )- morpholine , — nh — c ( o ) c ( o )- piperazine , — nh — c ( o ) c ( o )- pyrrolidine , — o — c ( o ) ch 2 — n ( ch 3 ) 2 , or — o —( ch 2 ) 2 — n ( ch 3 ) 2 . even more preferred are phenyl or pyridyl containing at least 2 of the above - indicated substituents both being in the ortho position . most preferably , q 1 is selected from 2 - fluoro - 6 - trifluoromethylphenyl , 2 , 6 - difluorophenyl , 2 , 6 - dichlorophenyl , 2 - chloro - 4 - hydroxyphenyl , 2 - chloro - 4 - aminophenyl , 2 , 6 - dichloro - 4 - aminophenyl , 2 , 6 - dichloro - 3 - aminophenyl , 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl , 2 - methoxy - 3 , 5 - dichloro - 4 - pyridyl , 2 - chloro - 4 , 5 methylenedioxy phenyl , or 2 - chloro - 4 -( n - 2 - morpholino - acetamido ) phenyl . according to a preferred embodiment , q 2 is phenyl , pyridyl or naphthyl containing 0 to 3 substituents , wherein each substituent is independently selected from chloro , fluoro , bromo , methyl , ethyl , isopropyl , — och 3 , — oh , — nh 2 , — cf 3 , — ocf 3 , — sch 3 , — och 3 , — c ( o ) oh , — c ( o ) och 3 , — ch 2 nh 2 , — n ( ch 3 ) 2 , — ch 2 - pyrrolidine and — ch 2 oh . most preferred are compounds wherein q 2 is selected from phenyl , 2 - isopropylphenyl , 3 , 4 - dimethylphenyl , 2 - ethylphenyl , 3 - fluorophenyl , 2 - methylphenyl , 3 - chloro - 4 - fluorophenyl , 3 - chlorophenyl , 2 - carbomethoxylphenyl , 2 - carboxyphenyl , 2 - methyl - 4 - chlorophenyl , 2 - bromophenyl , 2 - pyridyl , 2 - methylenehydroxyphenyl , 4 - fluorophenyl , 2 - methyl - 4 - fluorophenyl , 2 - chloro - 4 - fluorphenyl , 2 , 4 - difluorophenyl , 2 - hydroxy - 4 - fluorphenyl , 2 - methylenehydroxy - 4 - fluorophenyl , 1 - naphthyl , 3 - chloro - 2 - methylenehydroxy , 3 - chloro - 2 - methyl , or 4 - fluoro - 2 - methyl . according an even more preferred embodiment , each y is c and the r and u attached to each y component is selected from hydrogen or methyl . according to another preferred embodiment , w is a 0 - 4 atom chain terminating in an alcohol , amine , carboxylic acid , ester , amide , or heterocycle . according to an even more preferred embodiment , each y is c , and w and / or u is not hydrogen . some preferred embodiments are provided in table 1 to 6 below : according to another embodiment , the present invention provides methods of producing the above - identified inhibitors of p38 of the formulae ( ia ), ( ib ), ( ic ), ( id ) and ( ie ). representative synthesis schemes for formula ( ia ) are depicted below . schemes 1 - 3 illustrate the preparation of compounds in which w is either an amino , carboxyl or an aldehyde function . in each case the particular moiety may be modified through chemistry well known in the literature . for example the final amino compounds d and n ( schemes 1 and 4 respectively ) may be acylated , sulfonylated or alkylated to prepare compounds within the scope of w . in all schemes , the l1 and l2 groups on the initial materials are meant to represent leaving groups ortho to the nitrogen atom in a heterocyclic ring . for example , compound a may be 2 , 6 - dichloro - 3 nitro pyridine . in scheme 1 , w is selected from amino - derivatized compounds such as n ( r 2 ) so 2 — n ( r 2 ) 2 ; n ( r 2 ) so 2 — n ( r 2 )( r 3 ); n ( r 2 ) c ( o )— or 2 ; n ( r 2 ) c ( o )— n ( r 2 ) 2 ; n ( r 2 ) c ( o )— n ( r 2 )( r 3 ); n ( r 2 ) c ( o )— r 2 ; or n ( r 2 ) 2 . in scheme 1 , the q 2 ring is introduced utilizing one of many reactions know in the art which result in the production of biaryl compounds . one example may be the reaction of an aryl lithium compound with the pyridine intermediate a . alternatively , an arylmetalic compound such as an aryl stannane or an aryl boronic acid may be reacted with the aryl halide portion ( intermediate a ) in the presence of a pd o catalyst to form product b . in the next step , a q1 substituted derivative such as a phenyl acetonitrile derivative may be treated with a base such as sodium hydride , sodium amide , lda , lithium hexamethyldisilazide or any number of other non - nucleophilic bases to deprotonate the position alpha to the cyano group , which represents a masked amide moiety . this anion is then contacted with intermediate b to form c . the nitrile or equivalent group of intermediate c is then hydrolyzed to form the amide and the nitro group is subjected to reducing conditions to form the amine intermediate d . intermediate d is then used to introduce various functionality defined by w through chemistry such as acylation , sulfonylation or alkylation reactions well known in the literature . depending on the regiochemistry of the first two steps of this procedure , the first two steps may need to be reversed . in scheme 2 , w is selected from carboxyl - derivatized compounds such as c ( o )— r 2 ; ch ( oh )— r 2 ; c ( o )— n ( r 2 ) 2 ; or c ( o )— or 2 . scheme 2 generally follows the procedures described for scheme 1 except that a carboxyl intermediate such as e is the starting material . the first two steps mirror scheme 1 , and , as mentioned for scheme 1 , may be reversed depending on the regiochemistry of specific examples . intermediate g is formed from these first two steps and this material may be hydrolyzed as mention to for the carboxyl intermediate h . the carboxyl group may then be modified according to well - known procedures from the literature to prepare analogs with defined w substituents such as acylations , amidations and esterifications . in scheme 3 , w is selected from ( c 1 - c 4 ) straight or branched alkyl optionally substituted with n ( r ′) 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′, con ( r ′) 2 , r 3 , or so 2 n ( r 2 ) 2 ; or a 5 - 6 membered carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring system optionally substituted with n ( r ′) 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′, con ( r ′) 2 , or so 2 n ( r 2 ) 2 ; provided that w is not an r 3 substituted c 1 alkyl . in scheme 3 a pyridine derivative is metalated and quenched with one of many known electrophiles which can generate an aldehyde , to form intermediate i . the aldehyde can then be masked to form the dimethyl acetal j . this intermediate is then carried on as described in scheme 1 and 2 to introduce the q1 and q2 substituents , to produce intermediate l . as before , these two steps may be interchanged depending on specific regiochemistry . the masked aldehyde of l may then be deprotected and utilized to form compounds with the defined w substitution using well know chemistry such as alkylations and reductive aminations . schemes 4 - 6 are similar to schemes 1 - 3 with the exception that the targeted compounds are those in which z = nitrogen . the steps for these schemes parallel 1 - 3 with the exception that the alkylation utilizing a phenyl acetonitrile is replaced with a reaction with a q1 amine derivative such as a substituted aniline derivative . the amide portion of the molecule is then introduced in an acylation reaction with , for example , chlorosulfonyl isocyanate . in scheme 4 , w is selected from amino - derivatized groups such as n ( r 2 ) so 2 — n ( r 2 ) 2 ; n ( r 2 ) so 2 — n ( r 2 )( r 3 ); n ( r 2 ) c ( o )— or 2 ; n ( r 2 ) c ( o )— n ( r 2 ) 2 ; n ( r 2 ) c ( o )— n ( r 2 )( r 3 ); n ( r 2 ) c ( o )— r 2 ; or n ( r 2 ) 2 . in scheme 4 , intermediate b ( from scheme 1 ) is treated with , for example , an aniline derivative in the presence of a base such as potassium carbonate . additionally , a palladium catalyst may be utilized to enhance the reactivity of this general type of reaction , if needed . the resulting amine derivative is then acylated to form intermediate m . the nitro group of m is then reduced to form n and the amino group may then be derivatized as described for scheme 1 . as mentioned for schemes 1 - 3 , the steps involved in the introduction of the q1 and q2 substituents may be interchanged depending on the specific regiochemistry of specific compounds . in scheme 5 , w is selected from carboxyl - derivatized groups such as c ( o )— r 2 ; ch ( oh )— r 2 ; c ( o )— n ( r 2 ) 2 ; or c ( o )— or 2 . in scheme 6 , w is selected from ( c 1 - c 4 ) straight or branched alkyl optionally substituted with n ( r ′) 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′, con ( r ′) 2 , r 3 , or so 2 n ( r 2 ) 2 ; or a 5 - 6 membered carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring system optionally substituted with n ( r ′) 2 , or ′, co 2 r ′, con ( r ′) 2 , or so 2 n ( r 2 ) 2 ; provided that w is not an r 3 substituted c 1 alkyl . one having skill in the art will recognize schemes 1 - 6 may be used to synthesize compounds having the general formula of ( ib ), ( ic ), ( id ) and ( ie ). according to another embodiment of the invention , the activity of the p38 inhibitors of this invention may be assayed in vitro , in vivo or in a cell line . in vitro assays include assays that determine inhibition of either the kinase activity or atpase activity of activated p38 . alternate in vitro assays quantitate the ability of the inhibitor to bind to p38 and may be measured either by radiolabelling the inhibitor prior to binding , isolating the inhibitor / p38 complex and determining the amount of radiolabel bound , or by running a competition experiment where new inhibitors are incubated with p38 bound to known radioligands . cell culture assays of the inhibitory effect of the compounds of this invention may determine the amounts of tnf , il - 1 , il - 6 or il - 8 produced in whole blood or cell fractions thereof in cells treated with inhibitor as compared to cells treated with negative controls . level of these cytokines may be determined through the use of commercially available elisas . an in vivo assay useful for determining the inhibitory activity of the p38 inhibitors of this invention are the suppression of hind paw edema in rats with mycobacterium butyricum - induced adjuvant arthritis . this is described in j . c . boehm et al ., j . med . chem ., 39 , pp . 3929 - 37 ( 1996 ), the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference . the p38 inhibitors of this invention may also be assayed in animal models of arthritis , bone resorption , endotoxin shock and immune function , as described in a . m . badger et al ., j . pharmacol .. experimental therapeutics , 279 , pp . 1453 - 61 ( 1996 ), the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference . the p38 inhibitors or pharmaceutical salts thereof may be formulated into pharmaceutical compositions for administration to animals or humans . these pharmaceutical compositions , which comprise an amount of p38 inhibitor effective to treat or prevent a p38 - mediated condition and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier , are another embodiment of the present invention . the term “ p38 - mediated condition ”, as used herein means any disease or other deleterious condition in which p38 is known to play a role . this includes conditions known to be caused by il - 1 , tnf , il - 6 or il - 8 overproduction . such conditions include , without limitation , inflammatory diseases , autoimmune diseases , destructive bone disorders , proliferative disorders , infectious diseases , neurodegenerative diseases , allergies , reperfusion / ischemia in stroke , heart attacks , angiogenic disorders , organ hypoxia , vascular hyperplasia , cardiac hypertrophy , thrombin - induced platelet aggregation , and conditions associated with prostaglandin endoperoxidase synthase - 2 . inflammatory diseases which may be treated or prevented by the compounds of this invention include , but are not limited to , acute pancreatitis , chronic pancreatitis , asthma , allergies , and adult respiratory distress syndrome . autoimmune diseases which may be treated or prevented by the compounds of this invention include , but are not limited to , glomerulonephritis , rheumatoid arthritis , systemic lupus erythematosus , scleroderma , chronic thyroiditis , graves &# 39 ; disease , autoimmune gastritis , diabetes , autoimmune hemolytic anemia , autoimmune neutropenia , thrombocytopenia , atopic dermatitis , chronic active hepatitis , myasthenia gravis , multiple sclerosis , inflammatory bowel disease , ulcerative colitis , crohn &# 39 ; s disease , psoriasis , or graft vs . host disease . destructive bone disorders which may be treated or prevented by the compounds of this invention include , but are not limited to , osteoporosis , osteoarthritis and multiple myeloma - related bone disorder . proliferative diseases which may be treated or prevented by the compounds of this invention include , but are not limited to , acute myelogenous leukemia , chronic myelogenous leukemia , metastatic melanoma , kaposi &# 39 ; s sarcoma , and multiple myeloma . angiogenic disorders which may be treated or prevented by the compounds of this invention include solid tumors , ocular neovasculization , infantile haemangiomas . infectious diseases which may be treated or prevented by the compounds of this invention include , but are not limited to , sepsis , septic shock , and shigellosis . viral diseases which may be treated or prevented by the compounds of this invention include , but are not limited to , acute hepatitis infection ( including hepatitis a , hepatitis b and hepatitis c ), hiv infection and cmv retinitis . neurodegenerative diseases which may be treated or prevented by the compounds of this invention include , but are not limited to , alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , parkinson &# 39 ; s disease , cerebral ischemias or neurodegenerative disease caused by traumatic injury . “ p38 - mediated conditions ” also include ischemia / reperfusion in stroke , heart attacks , myocardial ischemia , organ hypoxia , vascular hyperplasia , cardiac hypertrophy , and thrombin - induced platelet aggregation . in addition , p38 inhibitors of the instant invention are also capable of inhibiting the expression of inducible pro - inflammatory proteins such as prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase - 2 ( pghs - 2 ), also referred to as cyclooxygenase - 2 ( cox - 2 ). therefore , other “ p38 - mediated conditions ” which may be treated by the compounds of this invention include edema , analgesia , fever and pain , such as neuromuscular pain , headache , cancer pain , dental pain and arthritis pain . the diseases that may be treated or prevented by the p38 inhibitors of this invention may also be conveniently grouped by the cytokine ( il - 1 , tnf , il - 6 , il - 8 ) that is believed to be responsible for the disease . thus , an il - 1 - mediated disease or condition includes rheumatoid arthritis , osteoarthritis , stroke , endotoxemia and / or toxic shock syndrome , inflammatory reaction induced by endotoxin , inflammatory bowel disease , tuberculosis , atherosclerosis , muscle degeneration , cachexia , psoriatic arthritis , reiter &# 39 ; s syndrome , gout , traumatic arthritis , rubella arthritis , acute synovitis , diabetes , pancreatic β - cell disease and alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease . tnf - mediated disease or condition includes , rheumatoid arthritis , rheumatoid spondylitis , osteoarthritis , gouty arthritis and other arthritic conditions , sepsis , septic shock , endotoxic shock , gram negative sepsis , toxic shock syndrome , adult respiratory distress syndrome , cerebral malaria , chronic pulmonary inflammatory disease , silicosis , pulmonary sarcoisosis , bone resorption diseases , reperfusion injury , graft vs . host reaction , allograft rejections , fever and myalgias due to infection , cachexia secondary to infection , aids , arc or malignancy , keloid formation , scar tissue formation , crohn &# 39 ; s disease , ulcerative colitis or pyresis . tnf - mediated diseases also include viral infections , such as hiv , cmv , influenza and herpes ; and veterinary viral infections , such as lentivirus infections , including , but not limited to equine infectious anemia virus , caprine arthritis virus , visna virus or maedi virus ; or retrovirus infections , including feline immunodeficiency virus , bovine immunodeficiency virus , or canine immunodeficiency virus . il - 8 mediated disease or condition includes diseases characterized by massive neutrophil infiltration , such as psoriasis , inflammatory bowel disease , asthma , cardiac and renal reperfusion injury , adult respiratory distress syndrome , thrombosis and glomerulonephritis . in addition , the compounds of this invention may be used topically to treat or prevent conditions caused or exacerbated by il - 1 or tnf . such conditions include inflamed joints , eczema , psoriasis , inflammatory skin conditions such as sunburn , inflammatory eye conditions such as conjunctivitis , pyresis , pain and other conditions associated with inflammation . in addition to the compounds of this invention , pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of this invention may also be employed in compositions to treat or prevent the above - identified disorders . pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of this invention include those derived from pharmaceutically acceptable inorganic and organic acids and bases . examples of suitable acid salts include acetate , adipate , alginate , aspartate , benzoate , benzenesulfonate , bisulfate , butyrate , citrate , camphorate , camphorsulfonate , cyclopentanepropionate , digluconate , dodecylsulfate , ethanesulfonate , formate , fumarate , glucoheptanoate , glycerophosphate , glycolate , hemisulfate , heptanoate , hexanoate , hydrochloride , hydrobromide , hydroiodide , 2 - hydroxyethanesulfonate , lactate , maleate , malonate , methanesulfonate , 2 - naphthalenesulfonate , nicotinate , nitrate , oxalate , palmoate , pectinate , persulfate , 3 - phenylpropionate , phosphate , picrate , pivalate , propionate , salicylate , succinate , sulfate , tartrate , thiocyanate , tosylate and undecanoate . other acids , such as oxalic , while not in themselves pharmaceutically acceptable , may be employed in the preparation of salts useful as intermediates in obtaining the compounds of the invention and their pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts . salts derived from appropriate bases include alkali metal ( e . g ., sodium and potassium ), alkaline earth metal ( e . g ., magnesium ), ammonium and n —( c1 - 4 alkyl ) 4 + salts . this invention also envisions the quaternization of any basic nitrogen - containing groups of the compounds disclosed herein . water or oil - soluble or dispersible products may be obtained by such quaternization . pharmaceutically acceptable carriers that may be used in these pharmaceutical compositions include , but are not limited to , ion exchangers , alumina , aluminum stearate , lecithin , serum proteins , such as human serum albumin , buffer substances such as phosphates , glycine , sorbic acid , potassium sorbate , partial glyceride mixtures of saturated vegetable fatty acids , water , salts or electrolytes , such as protamine sulfate , disodium hydrogen phosphate , potassium hydrogen phosphate , sodium chloride , zinc salts , colloidal silica , magnesium trisilicate , polyvinyl pyrrolidone , cellulose - based substances , polyethylene glycol , sodium carboxymethylcellulose , polyacrylates , waxes , polyethylene - polyoxypropylene - block polymers , polyethylene glycol and wool fat . the compositions of the present invention may be administered orally , parenterally , by inhalation spray , topically , rectally , nasally , buccally , vaginally or via an implanted reservoir . the term “ parenteral ” as used herein includes subcutaneous , intravenous , intramuscular , intra - articular , intra - synovial , intrasternal , intrathecal , intrahepatic , intralesional and intracranial injection or infusion techniques . preferably , the compositions are administered orally , intraperitoneally or intravenously . sterile injectable forms of the compositions of this invention may be aqueous or oleaginous suspension . these suspensions may be formulated according to techniques known in the art using suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents . the sterile injectable preparation may also be a sterile injectable solution or suspension in a non - toxic parenterally - acceptable diluent or solvent , for example as a solution in 1 , 3 - butanediol . among the acceptable vehicles and solvents that may be employed are water , ringer &# 39 ; s solution and isotonic sodium chloride solution . in addition , sterile , fixed oils are conventionally employed as a solvent or suspending medium . for this purpose , any bland fixed oil may be employed including synthetic mono - or di - glycerides . fatty acids , such as oleic acid and its glyceride derivatives are useful in the preparation of injectables , as are natural pharmaceutically - acceptable oils , such as olive oil or castor oil , especially in their polyoxyethylated versions . these oil solutions or suspensions may also contain a long - chain alcohol diluent or dispersant , such as carboxymethyl cellulose or similar dispersing agents which are commonly used in the formulation of pharmaceutically acceptable dosage forms including emulsions and suspensions . other commonly used surfactants , such as tweens , spans and other emulsifying agents or bioavailability enhancers which are commonly used in the manufacture of pharmaceutically acceptable solid , liquid , or other dosage forms may also be used for the purposes of formulation . the pharmaceutical compositions of this invention may be orally administered in any orally acceptable dosage form including , but not limited to , capsules , tablets , aqueous suspensions or solutions . in the case of tablets for oral use , carriers commonly used include lactose and corn starch . lubricating agents , such as magnesium stearate , are also typically added . for oral administration in a capsule form , useful diluents include lactose and dried cornstarch . when aqueous suspensions are required for oral use , the active ingredient is combined with emulsifying and suspending agents . if desired , certain sweetening , flavoring or coloring agents may also be added . alternatively , the pharmaceutical compositions of this invention may be administered in the form of suppositories for rectal administration . these can be prepared by mixing the agent with a suitable non - irritating excipient which is solid at room temperature but liquid at rectal temperature and therefore will melt in the rectum to release the drug . such materials include cocoa butter , beeswax and polyethylene glycols . the pharmaceutical compositions of this invention may also be administered topically , especially when the target of treatment includes areas or organs readily accessible by topical application , including diseases of the eye , the skin , or the lower intestinal tract . suitable topical formulations are readily prepared for each of these areas or organs . topical application for the lower intestinal tract can be effected in a rectal suppository formulation ( see above ) or in a suitable enema formulation . topically - transdermal patches may also be used . for topical applications , the pharmaceutical compositions may be formulated in a suitable ointment containing the active component suspended or dissolved in one or more carriers . carriers for topical administration of the compounds of this invention include , but are not limited to , mineral oil , liquid petrolatum , white petrolatum , propylene glycol , polyoxyethylene , polyoxypropylene compound , emulsifying wax and water . alternatively , the pharmaceutical compositions can be formulated in a suitable lotion or cream containing the active components suspended or dissolved in one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers . suitable carriers include , but are not limited to , mineral oil , sorbitan monostearate , polysorbate 60 , cetyl esters wax , cetearyl alcohol , 2 - octyldodecanol , benzyl alcohol and water . for ophthalmic use , the pharmaceutical compositions may be formulated as micronized suspensions in isotonic , ph adjusted sterile saline , or , preferably , as solutions in isotonic , ph adjusted sterile saline , either with or without a preservative such as benzylalkonium chloride . alternatively , for ophthalmic uses , the pharmaceutical compositions may be formulated in an ointment such as petrolatum . the pharmaceutical compositions of this invention may also be administered by nasal aerosol or inhalation . such compositions are prepared according to techniques well - known in the art of pharmaceutical formulation and may be prepared as solutions in saline , employing benzyl alcohol or other suitable preservatives , absorption promoters to enhance bioavailability , fluorocarbons , and / or other conventional solubilizing or dispersing agents . the amount of p38 inhibitor that may be combined with the carrier materials to produce a single dosage form will vary depending upon the host treated , the particular mode of administration . preferably , the compositions should be formulated so that a dosage of between 0 . 01 - 100 mg / kg body weight / day of the inhibitor can be administered to a patient receiving these compositions . it should also be understood that a specific dosage and treatment regimen for any particular patient will depend upon a variety of factors , including the activity of the specific compound employed , the age , body weight , general health , sex , diet , time of administration , rate of excretion , drug combination , and the judgment of the treating physician and the severity of the particular disease being treated . the amount of inhibitor will also depend upon the particular compound in the composition . according to another embodiment , the invention provides methods for treating or preventing a p38 - mediated condition comprising the step of administering to a patient one of the above - described pharmaceutical compositions . the term “ patient ”, as used herein , means an animal , preferably a human . preferably , that method is used to treat or prevent a condition selected from inflammatory diseases , autoimmune diseases , destructive bone disorders , proliferative disorders , infectious diseases , degenerative diseases , allergies , reperfusion / ischemia in stroke , heart attacks , angiogenic disorders , organ hypoxia , vascular hyperplasia , cardiac hypertrophy , and thrombin - induced platelet aggregation . according to another embodiment , the inhibitors of this invention are used to treat or prevent an il - 1 , il - 6 , il - 8 or tnf - mediated disease or condition . such conditions are described above . depending upon the particular p38 - mediated condition to be treated or prevented , additional drugs , which are normally administered to treat or prevent that condition , may be administered together with the inhibitors of this invention . for example , chemotherapeutic agents or other anti - proliferative agents may be combined with the p38 inhibitors of this invention to treat proliferative diseases . those additional agents may be administered separately , as part of a multiple dosage regimen , from the p38 inhibitor - containing composition . alternatively , those agents may be part of a single dosage form , mixed together with the p38 inhibitor in a single composition . in order that the invention described herein may be more fully understood , the following examples are set forth . it should be understood that these examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting this invention in any manner . to a solution of lda ( 60 mmol , 40 mls ) at − 78 ° c ., was added dropwise a solution of 2 , 6 - dibromopyridine ( 40 mmol , 9 . 48 gms ) in thf ( 30 mls , dried ). the mixture was stirred at − 78 ° c . for 20 minutes . ethyl formate ( 400 mmol , 32 . 3 mls ) was added and stirring was continued at − 78 ° c . for 2 hours . saturated ammonium chloride ( 200 mls ) was added and the mixture was warmed to room temperature . the reaction mixture was diluted with ethyl acetate and the organic layer was washed with aqueous acid and base . the organic layer was dried and evaporated in vacuo . the resulting material was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel followed by eluting with 10 % ethyl acetate in n - hexane to afford 1 ( 32 mmol , 8 . 41 gms ) as a white solid . a solution of 1 ( 13 . 08 mmol , 3 . 1 gms ) and concentrated sulfuric acid ( 1 ml ) in methanol ( 50 ml ) was refluxed overnight . the reaction mixture was cooled , neutralized with aqueous base and extracted into ethyl acetate . drying and evaporation of the organic layer afforded 2 ( 11 . 77 mmol , 3 . 63 gms ) as an oil . to a solution of t - butoxide ( 2 . 2 mmol , 2 mls ) was added dropwise a solution of 2 , 6 - dichloroaniline ( 1 . 0 mmol , 162 mgs ) in thf ( 2 ml , dried ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 20 minutes . a solution of 2 ( 1 . 0 mmol , 309 mgs ) in thf ( 5 mls ) was added and stirring was continued for 3 hours . the reaction mixture was diluted with ethyl acetate and the organic layer was washed with aqueous acid and base . the organic layer was dried and evaporated in vacuo . the resulting material was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel followed by eluting with 5 % acetone in n - hexane to afford 3 ( 0 . 33 mmol , 128 mgs ) as an orange solid . o - tolylboronic acid ( 0 . 34 mmol , 46 mgs ), and 3 ( 0 . 20 mmol , 80 mgs ) were dissolved in a toluene / ethanol ( 5 / 1 ) mixture . thallium carbonate ( 0 . 5 , 235 mgs ) and tetrakis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium ( 0 ) ( 10 mgs ) was added to the solution and the slurry was allowed to reflux for 30 minutes . the reaction mixture was diluted with ethyl acetate and the organic layer was washed with aqueous acid and base . the organic layer was dried and evaporated in vacuo . the resulting material was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel followed by eluting with 5 % methanol in methylene chloride to afford 4 ( 0 . 17 mmol , 61 mgs ) as a white solid . a solution of 4 ( 0 . 17 mmol , 61 mgs ) and chlorosulfonyl isocyanate ( 1 mmol , 141 . 5 mgs ) in methylene chloride ( 5 mls ) was stirred at room temperature overnight . the reaction mixture was diluted with ethyl acetate and the organic layer was washed with aqueous acid and base . the organic layer was dried and evaporated in vacuo . the resulting material was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel followed by eluting with 5 % acetone in n - hexane to afford 5 ( 0 . 12 mmol , 46 mgs ) as a white solid . sodium borohydride ( 1 . 0 mmol , 39 . 8 mgs ) was added to a solution of 5 ( 0 . 12 mmol , 46 mgs ) in methanol ( 10 mls ) and the solution was stirred for 15 minutes . the reaction was quenched with water . the reaction mixture was then diluted with ethyl acetate and the organic layer was washed with aqueous acid and base . the organic layer was dried and evaporated in vacuo . the resulting material was purified by flash chromatography to afford 6 ( 0 . 08 mmol , 36 mgs ) as a white solid . 1 h nmr ( 500 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ7 . 90 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 60 ( d , 2h ), 7 . 5 - 7 . 3 ( m , 5h ), 6 . 30 ( d , 2h ), 4 . 5 ( s , 2h ), 2 . 3 ( s , 2h ). the amino - alcohol ( 500 mg , 1 . 43 mmol ), which was prepared in the same manner as 4 , was dissolved in dichloromethane . triethylamine ( 433 mg , 4 . 29 mmol ) was added , followed by acetyl chloride ( 168 mg , 2 . 15 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature for one hour , poured into water , and extracted with dichloromethane . the organic extract was evaporated in vacuo and the residue was dissolved in 10 . 0 ml of toluene . a 20 % solution of phosgene in toluene ( 5 . 0 ml ) was added and the solution was refluxed for two hours . the solution was cooled and 5 . 0 ml of concentrated ammonium hydroxide was added , precipitating a white solid . the mixture was poured into water and extracted with toluene . the organic extract was dried ( mgso 4 ) and evaporated in vacuo to afford 205 mg of the urea - acetate 7 as a white solid . 1 h nmr ( 500 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ7 . 80 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 62 - 7 . 50 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 25 - 7 . 0 ( m , 5h ), 6 . 59 ( d , 1h ), 5 . 1 ( s , 2h ), 2 . 12 ( s , 3h ). hrms showed mh + 434 . 2 as the major peak . the urea - alcohol ( 548 mg , 1 . 4 mmol ), which was prepared in the same manner as 6 , was dissolved in 5 . 0 ml of toluene . a 20 % solution of phosgene in toluene ( 5 . 0 ml ) was added and the solution was refluxed for two hours . the solution was cooled and 5 . 0 ml of concentrated ammonium hydroxide was added , precipitating a white solid . the mixture was poured into water and extracted with toluene . the organic extract was dried ( mgso 4 ) and evaporated in vacuo to afford 284 mg of the carbamate 8 as a white solid . 1 h nmr ( 500 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ7 . 77 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 55 - 7 . 45 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 15 - 6 . 95 ( m , 5h ), 6 . 50 ( d , 1h ), 5 . 40 ( br s , 2h . ), 5 . 00 ( s , 2h ). hrms showed mh + 435 . 1 as the major peak . one equivalent of 2 , 6 - dichloropyridine - 4 - carboxylic acid was dissolved in thf . the solution was cooled to 0 ° c . and one equivalent of borane dimethyl sulfide complex was added . the solution was stirred at room temperature for twelve hours . the mixture was poured into water and extracted with diethyl ether . the ether extract was dried , and evaporated in vacuo to afford 9 in 93 % yield . one equivalent of 9 was dissolved in methylene chloride . one equivalent of methyl chloromethyl ether was added , followed by the addition of one equivalent of ethyl diisopropylamine . the reaction was stirred at room temperature for several hours , poured into water and extracted with a water - immiscible solvent . the extract was dried and evaporated in vacuo to afford 10 in 86 % yield . one equivalent of potassium t - butoxide was added to a solution of one equivalent of 2 , 6 - dichlorophenyl acetonitrile in thf at room temperature . the mixture was stirred at room temperature for thirty minutes , and a solution of the dichloropyridine 10 in thf was added . after stirring for 1 . 5 hours , the mixture was poured into aqueous ammonium chloride and extracted with ethyl acetate . the extract was dried and evaporated in vacuo . the residue was purified by flash chromatography to afford 11 in 79 % yield as a white powder . the acetal 11 was mixed with concentrated hydrochloric acid and stirred for several hours . the mixture was extracted with a water - immicible organic solvent . the extract was washed with saturated aqueous nahco 3 , dried , and evaporated in vacuo to afford 12 . the nitrile 12 was mixed with concentrated sulfuric acid and heated to 100 ° c . for several minutes . the mixture was cooled , poured onto ice , and filtered to afford 13 . one equivalent of the chloropyridine 13 was dissolved in 1 , 2 - dimethoxyethane . one equivalent of 3 - chloro - 2 - methylphenylboronic acid was added . a solution of one equivalent of sodium carbonate in water was added along with a catalytic amount of tetrakis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium ( 0 ). the mixture was heated to 80 ° c . for several hours . the mixture was poured into water and extracted with a water - immiscible organic solvent . the extract was dried , evaporated in vacuo and purified by flash chromatography to afford 14 . one equivalent of the alcohol 14 was dissolved in thf . the solution was cooled to 0 ° c . and one equivalent of methanesulfonyl chloride was added following by one equivalent of triethylamine . the solution was stirred for several hours , poured into water , and extracted with a water - immiscible solvent . the extract was dried and evaporated in vacuo to afford the crude mesylate 15 . one equivalent of the methanesulfonyl ester 15 was dissolved in thf . the solution was cooled to 0 ° c . and one equivalent of n - ethyl piperazine was added following by one equivalent of triethylamine . the solution was stirred for several hours , poured into water , and extracted with a water - immiscible solvent . the extract was dried , evaporated , and purified by flash chromatography to afford the pure amine 16 . 1 h nmr ( 500 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 9 . 85 ( br s , 1h ), 7 . 47 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 42 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 27 ( m , 5h ), 6 . 75 ( s , 1h ), 5 . 95 ( s , 1h ), 5 . 7 ( br s , 1h ), 3 . 5 ( abq , 2h ), 2 . 5 - 2 . 3 ( m , 10h ), 2 . 3 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 2 ( t , 3h ). two splice variants of human p38 kinase , csbp1 and csbp2 , have been identified . specific oligonucleotide primers were used to amplify the coding region of csbp2 cdna using a hela cell library ( stratagene ) as a template . the polymerase chain reaction product was cloned into the pet - 15b vector ( novagen ). the baculovirus transfer vector , pvl -( his ) 6 - p38 was constructed by subcloning a xbai - bamhi fragment of pet15b -( his ) 6 - p38 into the complementary sites in plasmid pvl1392 ( pharmingen ). the plasmid pvl -( his ) 6 - p38 directed the synthesis of a recombinant protein consisting of a 23 - residue peptide ( mgsshhhhhhssglvprgshmle , where lvprgs represents a thrombin cleavage site ) fused in frame to the n - terminus of p38 , as confirmed by dna sequencing and by n - terminal sequencing of the expressed protein . monolayer culture of spodoptera frugiperda ( sf9 ) insect cells ( atcc ) was maintained in tnm - fh medium ( gibco brl ) supplemented with 10 % fetal bovine serum in a t - flask at 27 ° c . sf9 cells in log phase were co - transfected with linear viral dna of autographa califonica nuclear polyhedrosis virus ( pharmingen ) and transfer vector pvl -( his ) 6 - p38 using lipofectin ( invitrogen ). the individual recombinant baculovirus clones were purified by plaque assay using 1 % low melting agarose . trichoplusia ni ( tn - 368 ) high - five ™ cells ( invitrogen ) were grown in suspension in excel - 405 protein free medium ( jrh bioscience ) in a shaker flask at 27 ° c . cells at a density of 1 . 5 × 10 6 cells / ml were infected with the recombinant baculovirus described above at a multiplicity of infection of 5 . the expression level of recombinant p38 was monitored by immunoblotting using a rabbit anti - p38 antibody ( santa cruz biotechnology ). the cell mass was harvested 72 hours after infection when the expression level of p38 reached its maximum . frozen cell paste from cells expressing the ( his ) 6 - tagged p38 was thawed in 5 volumes of buffer a ( 50 mm nah 2 po 4 ph 8 . 0 , 200 mm nacl , 2 mm β - mercaptoethanol , 10 % glycerol and 0 . 2 mm pmsf ). after mechanical disruption of the cells in a microfluidizer , the lysate was centrifuged at 30 , 000 × g for 30 minutes . the supernatant was incubated batchwise for 3 - 5 hours at 4 ° c . with talon ™ ( clontech ) metal affinity resin at a ratio of 1 ml of resin per 2 - 4 mgs of expected p38 . the resin was settled by centrifugation at 500 × g for 5 minutes and gently washed batchwise with buffer a . the resin was slurried and poured into a column ( approx . 2 . 6 × 5 . 0 cm ) and washed with buffer a + 5 mm imidazole . the ( his ) 6 - p38 was eluted with buffer a + 100 mm imidazole and subsequently dialyzed overnight at 4 ° c . against 2 liters of buffer b , ( 50 mm hepes , ph 7 . 5 , 25 mm β - glycerophosphate , 5 % glycerol , 2 mm dtt ). the his 6 tag was removed by addition of at 1 . 5 units thrombin ( calbiochem ) per mg of p38 and incubation at 20 ° c . for 2 - 3 hours . the thrombin was quenched by addition of 0 . 2 mm pmsf and then the entire sample was loaded onto a 2 ml benzamidine agarose ( american international chemical ) column . the flow through fraction was directly loaded onto a 2 . 6 × 5 . 0 cm q - sepharose ( pharmacia ) column previously equilibrated in buffer b + 0 . 2 mm pmsf . the p38 was eluted with a 20 column volume linear gradient to 0 . 6m nacl in buffer b . the eluted protein peak was pooled and dialyzed overnight at 4 ° c . vs . buffer c ( 50 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 , 5 % glycerol , 50 mm nacl , 2 mm dtt , 0 . 2 mm pmsf ). the dialyzed protein was concentrated in a centriprep ( amicon ) to 3 - 4 ml and applied to a 2 . 6 × 100 cm sephacryl s - 100hr ( pharmacia ) column . the protein was eluted at a flow rate of 35 ml / hr . the main peak was pooled , adjusted to 20 mm dtt , concentrated to 10 - 80 mgs / ml and frozen in aliquots at − 70 ° c . or used immediately . p38 was activated by combining 0 . 5 mg / ml p38 with 0 . 005 mg / ml dd - double mutant mkk6 in buffer b + 10 mm mgcl 2 , 2 mm atp , 0 . 2 mm na 2 vo 4 for 30 minutes at 20 ° c . the activation mixture was then loaded onto a 1 . 0 × 10 cm monoq column ( pharmacia ) and eluted with a linear 20 column volume gradient to 1 . 0 m nacl in buffer b . the activated p38 eluted after the adp and atp . the activated p38 peak was pooled and dialyzed against buffer b + 0 . 2 mm na 2 vo 4 to remove the nacl . the dialyzed protein was adjusted to 1 . 1m potassium phosphate by addition of a 4 . 0m stock solution and loaded onto a 1 . 0 × 10 cm hic ( rainin hydropore ) column previously equilibrated in buffer d ( 10 % glycerol , 20 mm b - glycerophosphate , 2 . 0 mm dtt )+ 1 . 1mk 2 hpo 4 . the protein was eluted with a 20 column volume linear gradient to buffer d + 50 mm k 2 hpo 4 . the double phosphorylated p38 eluted as the main peak and was pooled for dialysis against buffer b + 0 . 2 mm na 2 vo 4 . the activated p38 was stored at − 70 ° c . this assay was carried out in the presence of 10 mm mgcl 2 , 25 mm j - glycerophosphate , 10 % glycerol and 100 mm hepes buffer at ph 7 . 6 . for a typical ic 50 determination , a stock solution was prepared containing all of the above components and activated p38 ( 5 nm ). the stock solution was aliquotted into vials . a fixed volume of dmso or inhibitor in dmso ( final concentration of dmso in reaction was 5 %) was introduced to each vial , mixed and incubated for 15 minutes at room temperature . egf receptor peptide , krelvepltpsgeapnqallr , a phosphoryl acceptor in p38 - catalyzed kinase reaction ( 1 ), was added to each vial to a final concentration of 200 μm . the kinase reaction was initiated with atp ( 100 μm ) and the vials were incubated at 30 ° c . after 30 minutes , the reactions were quenched with equal volume of 10 % trifluoroacetic acid ( tfa ). the phosphorylated peptide was quantified by hplc analysis . separation of phosphorylated peptide from the unphosphorylated peptide was achieved on a reverse phase column ( deltapak , 5 μm , c18 100d , part no . 011795 ) with a binary gradient of water and acteonitrile , each containing 0 . 1 % tfa . ic 50 ( concentration of inhibitor yielding 50 % inhibition ) was determined by plotting the percent (%) activity remaining against inhibitor concentration . this assay is carried out in the presence of 10 mm mgcl 2 , 25 mm β - glycerophosphate , 10 % glycerol and 100 mm hepes buffer at ph 7 . 6 . for a typical ki determination , the km for atp in the atpase activity of activated p38 reaction is determined in the absence of inhibitor and in the presence of two concentrations of inhibitor . a stock solution is prepared containing all of the above components and activated p38 ( 60 nm ). the stock solution is aliquotted into vials . a fixed volume of dmso or inhibitor in dmso ( final concentration of dmso in reaction was 2 . 5 %) is introduced to each vial , mixed and incubated for 15 minutes at room temperature . the reaction is initiated by adding various concentrations of atp and then incubated at 30 ° c . after 30 minutes , the reactions are quenched with 50 μl of edta ( 0 . 1 m , final concentration ), ph 8 . 0 . the product of p38 atpase activity , adp , is quantified by hplc analysis . separation of adp from atp is achieved on a reversed phase column ( supelcosil , lc - 18 , 3 μm , part no . 5 - 8985 ) using a binary solvent gradient of following composition : solvent a − 0 . 1 m phosphate buffer containing 8 mm tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate ( sigma chemical co ., catalogue no . t - 7158 ), solvent b − solvent a with 30 % methanol . ki is determined from the rate data as a function of inhibitor and atp concentrations . p38 inhibitors of this invention will inhibit the atpase activity of p38 . c . inhibition of il - 1 , tnf , il - 6 and il - 8 production in lps - stimulated pbmcs inhibitors were serially diluted in dmso from a 20 mm stock . at least 6 serial dilutions were prepared . then 4 × inhibitor stocks were prepared by adding 4 μl of an inhibitor dilution to 1 ml of rpmi1640 medium / 10 % fetal bovine serum . the 4 × inhibitor stocks contained inhibitor at concentrations of 80 μm , 32 μm , 12 . 8 μm , 5 . 12 μm , 2 . 048 μm , 0 . 819 μm , 0 . 328 μm , 0 . 131 μm , 0 . 052 μm , 0 . 021 μm etc . the 4 × inhibitor stocks were pre - warmed at 37 ° c . until use . fresh human blood buffy cells were separated from other cells in a vacutainer cpt from becton & amp ; dickinson ( containing 4 ml blood and enough dpbs without mg 2 + / ca 2 + to fill the tube ) by centrifugation at 1500 × g for 15 min . peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( pbmcs ), located on top of the gradient in the vacutainer , were removed and washed twice with rpmi1640 medium / 10 % fetal bovine serum . pbmcs were collected by centrifugation at 500 × g for 10 min . the total cell number was determined using a neubauer cell chamber and the cells were adjusted to a concentration of 4 . 8 × 10 6 cells / ml in cell culture medium ( rpmi1640 supplemented with 10 % fetal bovine serum ). alternatively , whole blood containing an anti - coagulant was used directly in the assay . 100 μl of cell suspension or whole blood were placed in each well of a 96 - well cell culture plate . then 50 μl of the 4 × inhibitor stock was added to the cells . finally , 50 μl of a lipopolysaccharide ( lps ) working stock solution ( 16 ng / ml in cell culture medium ) was added to give a final concentration of 4 ng / ml lps in the assay . the total assay volume of the vehicle control was also adjusted to 200 μl by adding 50 μl cell culture medium . the pbmc cells or whole blood were then incubated overnight ( for 12 - 15 hours ) at 37 ° c ./ 5 % co 2 in a humidified atmosphere . the next day the cells were mixed on a shaker for 3 - 5 minutes before centrifugation at 500 × g for 5 minutes . cell culture supernatants were harvested and analyzed by elisa for levels of il - 1b ( r & amp ; d systems , quantikine kits , # dbl50 ), tnf - α ( biosource , # khc3012 ), il - 6 ( endogen , # eh2 - il6 ) and il - 8 ( endogen , # eh2 - il8 ) according to the instructions of the manufacturer . the elisa data were used to generate dose - response curves from which ic50 values were derived . subsection a , above ), il - 1 and tnf in lps - stimulated pbmcs (“ cell ”) and il - 1 , tnf and il - 6 in whole blood (“ wb ”) for various p38 inhibitors of this invention are shown in table 7 below : other p38 inhibitors of this invention will also inhibit phosphorylation of egf receptor peptide , and will inhibit the production of il - 1 , tnf and il - 6 , as well as il - 8 , in lps - stimulated pbmcs or in whole blood . this assay is carried out on pbmcs exactly the same as above except that 50 μl of an il - 1b working stock solution ( 2 ng / ml in cell culture medium ) is added to the assay instead of the ( lps ) working stock solution . cell culture supernatants are harvested as described above and analyzed by elisa for levels of il - 6 ( endogen , # eh2 - il6 ) and il - 8 ( endogen , # eh2 - il8 ) according to the instructions of the manufacturer . the elisa data are used to generate dose - response curves from which ic50 values were derived . e . inhibition of lps - induced prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase - 2 ( pghs - 2 , or cox - 2 ) induction in pbmcs human peripheral mononuclear cells ( pbmcs ) are isolated from fresh human blood buffy coats by centrifugation in a vacutainer cpt ( becton & amp ; dickinson ). 15 × 10 6 cells are seeded in a 6 - well tissue culture dish containing rpmi 1640 supplemented with 10 % fetal bovine serum , 50 u / ml penicillin , 50 μg / ml streptomycin , and 2 mm l - glutamine . compounds are added at 0 . 2 , 2 . 0 and 20 μm final concentrations in dmso . lps is then added at a final concentration of 4 ng / ml to induce enzyme expression . the final culture volume is 10 ml / well . after overnight incubation at 37 ° c ., 5 % co 2 , the cells are harvested by scraping and subsequent centrifugation , the supernatant is removed , and the cells are washed twice in ice - cold dpbs ( dulbecco &# 39 ; s phosphate buffered saline , biowhittaker ). the cells are lysed on ice for 10 min in 50 μl cold lysis buffer ( 20 mm tris - hcl , ph 7 . 2 , 150 mm nacl , 1 % triton - x - 100 , 1 % deoxycholic acid , 0 . 1 % sds , 1 mm edta , 2 % aprotinin ( sigma ), 10 pg / ml pepstatin , 10 μg / ml leupeptin , 2 mm pmsf , 1 mm benzamidine , 1 mm dtt ) containing 1 μl benzonase ( dnase from merck ). the protein concentration of each sample is determined using the bca assay ( pierce ) and bovine serum albumin as a standard . then the protein concentration of each sample is adjusted to 1 mg / ml with cold lysis buffer . to 100 μl lysate an equal volume of 2 × sds page loading buffer is added and the sample is boiled for 5 min . proteins ( 30 pg / lane ) are size - fractionated on 4 - 20 % sds page gradient gels ( novex ) and subsequently transferred onto nitrocellulose membrane by electrophoretic means for 2 hours at 100 ma in towbin transfer buffer ( 25 mm tris , 192 mm glycine ) containing 20 % methanol . after transfer , the membrane is pretreated for 1 hour at room temperature with blocking buffer ( 5 % non - fat dry milk in dpbs supplemented with 0 . 1 % tween - 20 ) and washed 3 times in dpbs / 0 . 1 % tween - 20 . the membrane is incubated overnight at 4 ° c . with a 1 : 250 dilution of monoclonal anti - cox - 2 antibody ( transduction laboratories ) in blocking buffer . after 3 washes in dpbs / 0 . 1 % tween - 20 , the membrane is incubated with a 1 : 1000 dilution of horseradish peroxidase - conjugated sheep antiserum to mouse ig ( amersham ) in blocking buffer for 1 h at room temperature . then the membrane is washed again 3 times in dpbs / 0 . 1 % tween - 20 . an ecl detection system ( supersignal ™ cl - hrp substrate system , pierce ) is used to determine the levels of expression of cox - 2 . while we have hereinbefore presented a number of embodiments of this invention , it is apparent that our basic construction can be altered to provide other embodiments which utilize the methods of this invention .