Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common autoimmune disease with inflamma
tory manifestations in the peripheral joints. The lack of an effective
and safe treatment for RA. is a major problem in modem medicine. The
proinflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is k
nown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of RA and the use o
f anti-TNF-alpha. agents as a strategy for the treatment of inflammato
ry and autoimmune diseases, including RA, has become a competitive are
a. This review will cover the use of phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors, m
atrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitors and some small molecule inhib
itors of TNF-alpha and their potential use in RA.