A compound of the formula: 1
wherein R.sup.1 is an aliphatic hydrocarbon group optionally having
substituent(s), an aromatic hydrocarbon group optionally having
substituent(s), a heterocyclic group optionally having substituent(s), a
group of the formula: OR.sup.1a wherein R.sup.1a is a hydrogen atom or an
aliphatic hydrocarbon group optionally having substituent(s), or a group
of the formula: 2
wherein R.sup.1b and R.sup.1c are the same or different and each is a
hydrogen atom or an aliphatic hydrocarbon group optionally having
substituent(s), X is a methylene group, a nitrogen atom, a sulfur atom or
an oxygen atom, Y is an optionally substituted methylene group or an
optionally substituted nitrogen atom, ring A is a 5 to 8-membered ring
optionally substituted further by 1 to 4 substituent(s) selected from (1)
an aliphatic hydrocarbon group optionally having substituent(s), (2) an
aromatic hydrocarbon group optionally having substituent(s), (3) a group
of the formula: OR.sup.2 wherein R.sup.2 is a hydrogen atom, or an
aliphatic hydrocarbon group optionally having substituent(s) and (4) a
halogen atom, Ar is an aromatic hydrocarbon group optionally having
substituent(s), a group of the formula: 3
is a group of the formula: 4
or the formula: 5
m is an integer of 0 to 2, n is an integer of 1 to 3, and the sum of m and
n is not more than 4, provided that when X is a methylene group, Y is an
optionally substituted methylene group, and a salt thereof have an
inhibitory activity on nitric oxide (NO) production and cytokine
production, and are useful as an agent for the prophylaxis and/or
treatment of diseases, such as cardiac disease, autoimmune disease,
inflammatory disease, central nervous system disease, infectious disease,
sepsis, septic shock and the like.
