Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Designated organic active ingredient containing – Having -c- – wherein x is chalcogen – bonded directly to...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-12
2001-11-27
Huang, Evelyn Mei (Department: 1625)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Designated organic active ingredient containing
Having -c-, wherein x is chalcogen, bonded directly to...
C514S307000, C546S114000, C546S145000, C546S146000, C546S147000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06323215
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to novel tetrahydroisoquinolines and tetrahydrothienopyridines having neurotrophic activity. These compounds, along with related compositions and methods, are useful in the treatment and prevention of neuronal disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, diabetic neuropathy and Bell's palsy.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Neurodegenerative diseases constitute a major threat to public health throughout the world. One of the most serious such diseases is Alzheimer's disease (“AD”), a major cause of dementia in aged humans and the fourth most common medical cause of death in the United States. In the U.S., it is estimated that AD afflicts two to three million individuals overall, and more than 5% of the population over the age of 65. Although the exact etiology of AD remains to be defined, the disease is characterized by the presence of a large number of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in regions of the brain involved in cognitive function, and degeneration of cholinergic neurons that ascend from the basal forebrain to cortical and hippocampal areas. Currently, there are no effective therapies for AD. Brinton, R. D. and Yamazaki, R. S.,
Pharm. Res
., 1998, 15, 386-398.
Similar to AD, Parkinson's Disease (“PD”) is a progressive degenerative disease of the central nervous system (“CNS”). The lifetime incidence of the disease is approximately 2% in the general population. In PD, degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra leads to a decrease in dopamine levels in the region of the brain controlling voluntary movement, the corpus striatum. Therefore, standard treatments have focused on the administration of agents, like L-dopa and bromocriptine, which replenish dopamine levels in the affected areas of the brain. Dopaminergic regimens lose their efficacy, however, as nerve cells continue to die and the disease progresses. At the same time the involuntary tremors seen in the early stages of PD advance to periods of difficult movement and, ultimately, to immobility. Therefore, alternative therapies are actively being sought. Pahwa, R. and Koller, W. C.,
Drugs Today
, 1998, 34, 95-105.
Neurodegenerative diseases of the somatosensory nervous system also constitute a class of debilitating and potentially lethal conditions. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“ALS”) is a fatal disease characterized by progressive degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurons. Although the precise etiology of ALS is unknown, popular theories suggest that excitotoxicity and/or oxidative stress are contributing factors. Riluzole is the first drug approved and marketed for ALS. It possesses antiexcitotoxic properties and has been shown to increase the rate of survival of ALS patients. However, the drug is not a cure, and clinical trials of alternative agents are currently underway. Louvel, E., Hugon, J. and Doble, A.,
Trends Pharmacol. Sci
., 1997, 18, 196-203.
Peripheral neuropathies are secondary to a number of metabolic and vascular conditions. In particular, approximately 30% of patients with diabetes mellitus suffer from some form of peripheral neuropathy that may affect the small myelinated fibers, causing loss of pain and temperature sensation, or the large fibers, causing motor or somatosensory defects. Pharmacotherapeutic intervention tends to be symptomatic, and the best approach to treatment and prevention remains the maintenance of normal blood glucose levels through diet and insulin administration. Biessels, G. J. and Van Dam, P. S.,
Neurosci. Res. Commun
., 1997, 20, 1-10.
A considerable body of evidence now suggests that deficiencies in the levels of certain proteinaceous growth factors, or neurotrophic factors, may play key pathoetiological roles in both peripheral and central neurodegenerative diseases. Tomlinson, D. R., Fernyhough, P. and Diemel, L. T.,
Diabetes
, 1997, 46(suppl. 2) S43-S-49; Hamilton, G. S.,
Chem. Ind
., (London) 1998, 4, 127-132; Louvel, E., Hugon, J. and Doble, A.,
Trends Pharmacol. Sci
., 1997, 18, 196-203; Ebadi, M., et al.,
Neurochem. Int
., 1997, 30, 347-374.
These neurotrophic factors can be divided into two structural classes: (1) the neurotrophins, including nerve growth factor (“NGF”), glial cell-derived neurotrophic growth factor (“GDNF”), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (“BDNF”), neurotrophin 3 (“NT-3”), neurotrophin 4/5 (“NT4/5”), and neurotrophin 2 (“NT-2”); and (2) ciliary neurotrophic factor (“CNTF”) which is related to the cytokine family of molecules. All neurotrophic factors promote neurite outgrowth, induce differentiation, and suppress programmed cell death or apoptosis in specific subpopulations of peripheral and central neurons. For example, NGF exerts trophic effects on sympathetic and sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglion and cholinergic neurons of medial septum in the CNS, suggesting potential therapeutic utility in AD. CNTF has trophic actions on a broad cross-section of neurons, including parasympathetic, sensory, sympathetic, motor, cerebellar, hippocampal, and septal neurons. Of particular interest is the fact that CNTF partially prevents the atrophy of skeletal muscle following nerve lesioning but has no effect on innervated muscle, indicating that CNTF is primarily operative in the pathological state. As a result, CNTF is currently being evaluated for its effects in musculoskeletal diseases like ALS.
The clinical utility of proteinaceous neurotrophic agents is severely hampered by their limited bioavailability, especially in the CNS. This necessitates the administration of these agents directly into the brain to induce a therapeutic effect—a relatively hazardous and cumbersome route of administration.
Chemical Agents
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (collectively “Vertex”) PCT Application WO 96/36630 disclose a series of tetralin compounds that are described as reversing both MPR-mediated and P-glycoprotein-mediated multi-drug resistance, as evidenced by their activity in specific MDR cell lines, and as useful for their ability to maintain, increase, or restore sensitivity of cells to therapeutic or prophylactic agents. The compounds are exemplified by the following structure:
Patents collectively to Syntex (U.S.A.), Inc., (collectively “Syntex”) disclose compounds that are described as useful intermediates.
Syntex Application EP 0196841 A1 discloses benzyl N-pyruvoyl-(3)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-S-carboxylate compounds that are described as intermediates in the synthesis of a series of N,N-dialkylguanidino dipeptides useful as antihypertensive agents and are typified by the following structure:
Syntex Application EP 0260118 A1 discloses benzyl N-pyruvoyl-(3)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-S-carboxylate compounds that are described as intermediates in the synthesis of &ohgr;-guanidino-&agr;-amino acid derivatives and are typified by the following structure:
Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft Application EP 0046953 A2 discloses a series of compounds, wherein R is alkyl, aralkyl, heteroarylalkyl, haloalkyl and arylthioalkyl, that are described as intermediates in the synthesis of amino acid analogues with hypotensive activity and are represented by the following structure:
Vertex PCT Application WO 98/20892 discloses methods and compositions containing compounds for stimulating the growth of neurites in nerve cells. The compounds that are described as stimulating neurite outgrowth from pheochromocytoma PC12 cells and are typified by the following structure:
Vertex South African Application 964852 discloses compounds that are described as useful for inhibiting the rotamase activity of the FKBP12 immunophilin and stimulating neurite outgrowth in cell cultures. These compounds are typified by the following structure:
Vertex PCT Application WO 92/19593 discloses a series of compounds that are described as useful for inhibiting the rotamase activity of FK506-binding proteins (“FKBP”) and inhibiting T cell activation. These compounds are
Macielag Mark
Sui Zhihua
Walsh Shawn
Zhao Boyo
Huang Evelyn Mei
Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical , Inc.
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