A compound or a salt thereof having the atom corresponding to N.sub.3 and the two or more atoms selected from N.sub.1, N.sub.2, N.sub.4 and N.sub.5, said atoms constitute the pharmacophore represented by the following formula: ##STR00001## and inhibits the activity of transcription factor AP-1 and is useful as an agent for preventing and treating the diseases into which over expression of AP-1 participates and as an AP-1 inhibitor.