A PIM2 analogue suppresses allergic airway disease.

Two approaches for the synthesis of a phosphatidylinositol dimannoside (PIM2) analogue 4 that mimics the suppressive activity of natural PIMs and also synthetic PIM2 have been developed. This analogue, where the inositol core was replaced by glycerol, was tested for its ability to suppress cellular inflammation in a mouse model of allergic asthma and shown to be effective in suppressing airway eosinophilia. Suppression of all inflammatory cells monitored was observed, indicating a general blockade of cellular activity. These data indicate that the inositol core is not essential for this suppressive activity.