The sedative and anti-nausea drug thalidomide, which causes birth defects in humans, has
been shown to have both anti-inflammatory and anti-oncogenic properties. The anti-
inflammatory effect of thalidomide is associated with suppression of cytokine expression and
the anti-oncogenic effect with inhibition of angiogenesis. It is presently unclear whether the
teratogenic properties of thalidomide are connected in any way to the beneficial, anti-
disease characteristics of this drug. The transcription factor NF-κB has been shown to be a …