Disclosed are compounds which bind .alpha..sub.4 integrins, where the .alpha..sub.4 integrin is preferably VLA-4. Certain of these compounds also inhibit leukocyte adhesion and, in particular, leukocyte adhesion mediated by .alpha..sub.4 integrins, where the .alpha..sub.4 integrin is preferably VLA-4. Such compounds are useful in the treatment of inflammatory diseases in a mammalian patient, e.g., human, such as asthma, Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, AIDS dementia, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, tissue transplantation, tumor metastasis and myocardial ischemia. The compounds can also be administered for the treatment of inflammatory brain diseases such as multiple sclerosis.