Noscapine and analogs and methods related thereto

1. A method of treating Crohn's disease or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprising administering an effective amount of noscapine or a noscapine analog or salt thereof to a subject in need thereof wherein the noscapine analog is a compound comprising Formula A:

or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, prodrugs or derivatives thereof;

wherein Z is a halogen, nitro, or nitrogen wherein nitrogen may be optionally substituted with R 4 ;

X is carbonyl or methylene (CH 2 ) optionally substituted with R 4 ;

R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are each independently an alkoxy optionally substituted with one or more R 4 ;

R 4 is independently selected from alkyl, alkenyl, alkanoyl, halogen, nitro, cyano, hydroxy, amino, mercapto, formyl, carboxy, carbamoyl, alkoxy, alkylthio, alkylamino, dialkylamino, alkylsulfinyl, alkylsulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, carbocyclyl, aryl, and heterocyclyl wherein R 4 is optionally substituted with R 5 ;

R 5 is selected from halogen, nitro, cyano, hydroxy, trifluoromethoxy, trifluoromethyl, amino, formyl, carboxy, carbamoyl, mercapto, sulfamoyl, methyl, ethyl, propyl, tert-butyl, methoxy, ethoxy, acetyl, acetoxy, methylamino, ethylamino, dimethylamino, diethylamino, N-methyl-N-ethylamino, acetylamino, N-methylcarbamoyl, N-ethylcarbamoyl, N,N-dimethylcarbamoyl, N,N-diethylcarbamoyl, N-methyl-N-ethylcarbamoyl, methylthio, ethylthio, methylsulfinyl, ethylsulfinyl, mesyl, ethylsulfonyl, methoxycarbonyl, ethoxycarbonyl, N-methylsulfamoyl, N-ethylsulfamoyl, N,N-dimethylsulfamoyl, N,N-diethylsulfamoyl, N-methyl-N-ethylsulfamoyl, carbocyclyl, aryl, and heterocyclyl.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are each methoxy.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein Z is halogen.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the noscapine analog is selected from 9-bromonoscapine, 9-chlornoscapine, and 9-aminonoscapine.