Benzene butyric acid compounds and derivatives are described as well as methods for the preparation and pharmaceutical compositions of same, which are useful as inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases, particularly gelatinase A, collagenase-3, and stromelysin-1 and for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, atherosclerotic plaque rupture, aortic aneurysm, heart failure, left ventricular dilation, restenosis, periodontal disease, corneal ulceration, treatment of bums, decubital ulcers, wound healing, cancer, inflammation, pain, arthritis, osteoporosis, renal disease, or other autoimmune or inflammatory disorders dependent upon tissue invasion by leukocytes or other activated migrating cells, acute and chronic neurodegenerative disorders including stroke, head trauma, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, AIDS, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, prion diseases, myasthenia gravis, and Duchenne's muscular dystrophy.