A method for preferentially inhibiting release of pro-inflammatory cytokines over release of anti-inflammatory cytokines using a fused pyrazolyl compound of formula (I): A is R or in which R is H, alkyl, aryl, cyclyl, heteroaryl, or heterocyclyl; each of Ar1, Ar2, and Ar3, independently, is phenyl, thienyl, furyl, or pyrrolyl; each of R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, and R6, independently, is R′, nitro, halogen, —C(O)—OR′, —C(O)—SR′, —C(O)—NR′R″, —(CH2)mOR′, —(CH2)mSR′, —(CH2)mNR′R″, —(CH2)mCN, —(CH2)mC(O)—OR′, —(CH2)mC(O)H, or R1 and R2 together, R3 and R4 together, or R5 and R6 together are —O(CH2)nO—, in which each of R′ and R″, independently, is H, alkyl, cyclyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl; and m is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6; and n is 1, 2, or 3. This invention also covers a method of inhibiting activity of NF-κB with such a compound.