Novel salicylic anilides

A method of treating obesity, atherosclerosis, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, osteoarthritis, gallbladder diseases, endometrial, breast, prostate or colon cancer, or preventing of weight gain or maintaining a weight loss, or treating diabetic microvascular diseases in the retina, renal glomerulus or peripheral nerve cell apoptosis, the method comprising administering to a patient in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of a compound according, formula I

• wherein X represent and m is 0, 1 or 2;
• R1 represents branched C1-6alkyl or phenyl;
• R2 and R4 independently represent, hydrogen, C1-6alkyl, C1-6alkynyl or C1-6alkoxy;
• R5, R6 and R7 together constitute a substitution pattern selected from the group consisting of 2-chloro-4-nitro;
• 2-chloro-4-cyano;
• 2-trifluoromethoxy-4-nitro;
• 2-trifluoromethoxy-4-cyano;
• 2-trifluoromethyl-4-(1-imidazolyl);
• and 2-methyl-4-(1-imidazolyl;
• R3 represents C1-6alkyl, C1-6alkenyl, C1-6alkynyl, C1-6haloalkyl, arylC1-6alkyl, arylC1-6alkenyl, arylC1-6alkynyl, heteroarylC1-6alkyl, heteroarylC1-6alkenyl, heteroarylC1-6alkynyl, C3-8cycloalkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl;
• wherein R3 may optionally be substituted with up to four substituents, R10, R11, R12, and R13, wherein R10, R11, R12, and R13 independently represent C1-6alkyl, C1-6alkylaryl, halogen, C1-6haloalkyl, C1-6hydroxyalkyl, C1-6alkoxy, oxo, cyano, nitro, —(CH2)rO R14, —SH, —S(O)pR15, —S(O)pN(R14)(R15), —C(O)OR14, —OC(O)R14, —C(O)R14, —C(O)N(R14)(R15), —(CH2)rN(R14)C(O)R15, —B(OR14)(OR15), —(CH2)rN(R14)(R15), or phenyl, wherein said phenyl is optionally substituted with one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of C1-6alkyl, halogen, C1-6haloalkyl, C1-6hydroxyalkyl, cyano, nitro, —OR16, —S(O)sR16, —C(O)OR16, —OC(O)R16, —C(O)R16, —C(O)N(R16)(R17), —N(R16)(R17), —(CH2)s)N(R16)C(O)R17, —B(OR16)(OR17), —(CH2)tOR16, or —(CH2)tN(R16)(R17);
• each R14 independently represents hydrogen, C1-6haloalkyl, C1-6hydroxyalkyl, C1-6alkyl, C1-6alkenyl, C1-6alkynyl, C3-8cycloalkyl, or phenyl optionally substituted with one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of C1-6alkyl, halogen, C1-6haloalkyl, C1-6hydroxyalkyl and cyano;
• R15 represents C1-6haloalkyl, C1-6hydroxyalkyl, C1-6alkyl, C1-6alkenyl, C3-8cycloalkyl, or phenyl optionally substituted with one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of C1-6alkyl, halogen, C1-6haloalkyl, C1-6hydroxyalkyl and cyano;
• or wherein R14 and R15, when attached to a nitrogen atom, together with said nitrogen atom form a C3-8cycloalkyl or heteroaryl ring, optionally substituted with one or more C1-6alkyl substituents;
• each R16 and R17 independently represents hydrogen, C1-6haloalkyl, C1-6hydroxyalkyl, C1-6alkyl, C1-6alkenyl, C1-6alkynyl or C3-8cycloalkyl;
• or R16 and R17 when attached to a nitrogen atom together with said nitrogen atom form a cycloalkyl or heteroaryl ring, optionally substituted with one or more alkyl substituents;
• p and s, independently of each other, are an integer of 0, 1, or 2;
• r and t, independently of each other, are an integer of 0, 1, 2, or 3;
• q is 0, 1, 2;
• provided that the compound is not N-(2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl)-3-tert-butyl-6-methylsalicylanilide, 3,5-Di-tert-butyl-N-(2-chloro-4-nitro-phenyl)-2-hydroxy-benzamide or 3-tert-Butyl-N-(2-chloro-4-nitro-phenyl)-2-hydroxy-5-methyl-benzamide;
• or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof;
• optionally in combination with other therapeutically active compounds, wherein said other compound may be administered either concomitantly or sequentially.