A wide variety of tetra-substituted pyrrole derivatives were synthesized through one-pot four-component condensation reaction of aromatic aldehydes, benzylamines, beta-ketoesters, and nitroalkanes in the presence of 10 mol % NiCl2 center dot 6H(2)O in good yields. Some of them exhibit properties as potential inhibitors of phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B) through docking studies. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.