NEUTRAL ENDOPEPTIDASE (NEP) AND HUMAN SOLUBLE ENDOPEPTIDASE (HSEP) INHIBITORS TO REDUCE DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS OF PERFUSION DEFICIENCY OF PARENCHYMAL ORGANS

Abstract

The invention relates to a novel use of benzazepine, benzoxazepine, benzothiazepine-N-acetic acid and phosphono-substituted benzazepinone derivatives having both neutral endopeptidase (NEP) and/or human soluble endopeptidase (hSEP), and endothelin convertase (ECE), inhibitory activity. The compounds of this invention are useful for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions to reduce harmful effects of symptomless progressive disseminated perfusion deficiency of organs, or parts thereof, that may be suggestive of systemic diseases.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A method of treating perfusion deficiency of an organ or part thereof in a human subject as measured by an elevated concentration of a biomarker in one or more bodily fluids wherein the organ is (i) the spinal cord, peripheral nerves, or part thereof, and wherein the subject has a condition selected from the group consisting of optic neuritis, spinal cord inflammation, central nervous system vasculitis, a lysosomal storage disease of the central nervous system, a leukodystrophy, a urea cycle disorder, Guillain-Barre disease, a chronic inflammatory or autoimmune neuropathy, spinal and peripheral nerves injury induced by irradiation or chemotherapy, multiple system atrophy, and/or hereditary spastic paraplegia, or (ii) the eyes, and/or optic nerves, or parts thereof, and wherein the subject has a condition selected from the group consisting of an acquired macular disorder, age-related macular degeneration, a neuropathy of the optic nerve, anterior or posterior ischemic optic neuropathy, myopia, degenerative myopia, diabetic retinopathy, primary and secondary glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma, normal-tension glaucoma, primary angle-closure glaucoma, pseudoexfoliation syndrome and glaucoma, pigment dispersion syndrome and glaucoma, neovascular glaucoma, inflammatory glaucoma, lens-related glaucoma, traumatic glaucoma, iatrogenic induced glaucoma, and/or malignant glaucoma, comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of the general formula (4): ##STR00008## wherein A is CH.sub.2, wherein R2 and R3 independently represent hydrogen; R4 and R6 independently represent hydrogen or a group that forms a biolabile carboxylic ester; and R5 is selected from the group consisting of phenyl-(C1-C6)-alkyl, and naphthyl-(C1-C6)-alkyl, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or stereoisomer thereof; wherein the biomarker is selected from the group consisting of Endothelin-1 biomarker, pre-Endothelin-1, Pro-Endothelin (Big Endothelin-1), endothelin-1 converting enzyme (ECE-1), neutral endopeptidase (NEP), human soluble endopeptidase (hSEP), and combinations thereof.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the pharmaceutically acceptable salt is selected from the group consisting of lithium salt, calcium salt, magnesium salt, and zinc salt.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the pharmaceutically acceptable salt is calcium salt.

19. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the compound is administered parenterally to the subject at a dose of about 60 mg/kg per day.

20. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the compound is administered subcutaneously.

21. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the compound is administered as an implant.

22. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the bodily fluid is selected from the group consisting of blood, blood plasma, saliva, tears, sweat, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, bile, gastric juices, lymph, interstitial fluid, semen, synovial fluid, skin, mucous membrane tissue, hair, organ tissue, and combination thereof.

23. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the compound is administered topically to the eye, periocularly in such manner as subconjunctival, subtenon, retrobulbar or peribulbar and intraocularly into the eye.

Description

EXAMPLES

[0035] Methods: Wistar rats, 200-250 g, were anesthetized with chloral hydrate, 400 mg/kg, and osmotic minipumps, primed prior to implantation, were filled with either vehicle or example (6), representative for the compounds of the invention, in the dose of 60 mg/kg/d, and were implanted subcutaneously. Subsequently, rats (n=8) were subjected to transient bilateral occlusion of the common carotid artery (BCCA) for 30 min with surgical thread under sodium pentobarbital anaesthesia in the dose of 60 mg/kg i.p. on day 2. The interruption of the blood flow in carotid arteries was visually controlled, after 30 min the threads were removed, and the surgical field closed. In sham-operated control rats (n=8), blood flow in the carotid arteries was not interrupted, but sutures were placed and subsequently removed. The exploratory performance of rats was evaluated in the open field test (M. Fontenay, J. Le Cornec, M. Zaczyska, M. C. Debarle, P. Simon & J. R. Boissier (1970) J. Pharmacol. 1, 243-254). The animals were placed in an open field for a period of 5 min and ambulation, rearing, grooming, episodes of interests in blocks, and number of defecations were counted. The tests were carried out 5 days after BCCA (n=8). Statistical evaluation was performed by means of the Mann-Whitney U test.

[0036] Results: Transient bilateral occlusion of the common carotid artery (BCCA) for 30 min significantly disrupted exploratory behavior of rats as measured in the open field test by the number of rearings (45.12%) and the episodes of interest in blocks (48.64%), while ambulations (105.05) %), grooming (114.53%), and defecations (76.19%) did not significantly change (Table 1). Compound (6) induced statistically significant improvement of exploratory performance in rats subjected to BCCA, as evidenced by the normalization of rearings (104.62%) and the episodes of interest in blocks (103.80%) without affecting ambulations (94.81%), as compared to the sham-operated controls (Table 1).

[0037] Conclusions: The compound of formula (6) induced a significant improvement of exploratory performance reduced by transient deficiency of brain perfusion caused by bilateral occlusion of the common carotid artery (BCCA), as evidenced by the normalization of rearing and episodes of interests in blocks without changing the ambulations, grooming, and defecations in the open field test (Table 1).

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Effect on exploratory performance of rats in the open field. Ambulation Rearing Blocks Grooming Defecation (n) (n) (n) (n) (n) Control + (6) 28.91 5.13 11.48 3.51 7.36 2.85 5.30 1.57 1.26 0.45 % 100 100 100 100 100 BCCA 30.37 3.22 .sup.5.18 2.05*.sup.a .sup.3.58 1.57*.sup.a 6.07 1.38 0.96 0.31 % 105.05 45.12 48.64 114.53 76.19 BCCA + (6) 2741 4.25 12.01 3.86 7.64 2.54 5.98 1.06 1.04 0.45 % 94.81 104.62 103.80 112.83 82.54 *P < 0.05 BCCA vs Control + (6); .sup.aP < 0.05 BCCA vs BCCA + (6); Mann-Whitney U-test; x SEM, BCCA, bilateral occlusion of common carotid arteries.