Carboxyalkyl derivatives useful as inhibitors of enkephalinase and ace

A method of inhibiting ACE in a patient in need thereof comprising administering to said patient an effective ACE inhibitory amount of a compound of the formula ##STR10## wherein B.sub.1 and B.sub.2 are each independently hydrogen;

• hydroxy;
• --OR.sub.2 wherein R.sub.2 is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl or an Ar--Y group wherein Ar is a phenyl or naphthyl group unsubstituted or substituted with from one to three substituents selected from the group consisting of methylenedioxy, hydroxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkoxy, fluoro and chloro and Y is a hydrogen or C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl;
• or, where B.sub.1 and B.sub.2 are attached to adjacent carbon atoms, B.sub.1 and B.sub.2 can be taken together with said adjacent carbons to form a benzene ring or methylenedioxy;
• A is a bond, methylene or oxygen, sulfur, NR.sub.4 or NCOR.sub.5 wherein R.sub.4 is hydrogen, a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl or an Ar--Y--group and R.sub.5 is --CF.sub.3, a C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 alkyl or an Ar--Y-- group;
• R.sub.3 is hydrogen or --CH.sub.2 OC(O)C(CH.sub.3).sub.3 ;
• R.sub.1 is hydrogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl or --CH.sub.2 OC(O)--C(CH.sub.3).sub.3 ;
• and n is an integer 1 to 3.