Sulfonylalkanoylamino hydroxyethlamino sulfonamides useful as retroviral protease inhibitors

Compound represented by the formula ##STR96## or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein x represent 0, 1 or 2;

• t represents 0 or 1;
• represents O or S;
• R represents alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, hydroxyalkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, aryl, aralkyl, heterocycloalkyl, heterocycloalkylalkyl, heteroaryl, heteroaralkyl, aralkoxycarbonylalkyl, aminoalkyl, alkylaminoalkyl or dialkylaminoalkyl radicals, or aminocarbonylalkyl or alkylaminocarbonylalkyl radicals optionally substituted on the amide nitrogen with heteroaryl, heteroaralkyl, heterocycloalkyl or heterocycloalkylalkyl radicals, or an N,N-disubstituted aminocarbonylalkyl radical wherein said substituents along with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached form heterocycloalkyl or heteroaryl radicals;
• R.sup.1 represents hydrogen, --CH.sub.2 SO.sub.2 NH.sub.2, --CH.sub.2 CO.sub.2 CH.sub.3, --CO.sub.2 CH.sub.3, --CONH.sub.2, --CH.sub.2 C(O)NHCH.sub.3, --C(CH.sub.3).sub.2 (SH), --C(CH.sub.3).sub.2 (SCH.sub.3), --C(CH.sub.3).sub.2 (S[O]CH.sub.3), --C(CH.sub.3).sub.2 (S[O].sub.2 CH.sub.3), alkyl, haloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl or cycloalkyl radicals, or the side chain of the amino acid asparagine, S-methyl cysteine or the sulfoxide (SO) or sulfone (SO.sub.2) derivative thereof, isoleucine, allo-isoleucine, alanine, leucine, tert-leucine, phenylalanine, ornithine, histidine, norleucine, threonine, glycine, allo-threonine, serine, O-alkyl serine, aspartic acid, beta-cyano alanine or valine;
• R.sup.2 represents alkyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl or aralkyl radicals, which radicals are optionally substituted with a halogen, alkyl, --NO.sub.2, --CN, --CF.sub.3, --OR.sup.9 or --SR.sup.9 radicals, wherein R.sup.9 represents hydrogen or alkyl radicals;
• R.sup.3 represents hydrogen, alkyl, haloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, hydroxyalkyl, alkoxyalkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, aryl, aralkyl, heterocycloalkyl, heteroaryl, heterocycloalkylalkyl, heteroaralkyl, aminoalkyl, alkylaminoalkyl or dialkylaminoalkyl radicals;
• and
• R.sup.4 represents alkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, aryl, aralkyl, heterocycloalkyl, heteroaryl, heterocycloalkylalkyl or heteroaralkyl radicals;
• provided at least one of R, R.sup.1, R.sup.3 or R.sup.4 represents a radical having a heterocycloalkyl or heteroaryl radical;
• and wherein alkyl, alone or in combination, means a straight-chain or branched-chain alkyl radical having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
• alkenyl, alone or in combination, means a straight-chain or branched-chain hydrocarbon radial having one or more double bonds and from 2 to 8 carbon atoms;
• alkynyl, alone or in combination, means a straight-chain hydrocarbon radical having one or more triple bonds and from 2 to 10 carbon atoms;
• cycloalkyl, alone or in combination, means a saturated or partially saturated monocyclic, bicyclic or tricyclic alkyl radial wherein each cyclic moiety contains from 3 to 8 carbon atoms;
• aryl, alone or in combination, means a phenyl or naphthyl radical which is optionally substituted with one or more alkyl, alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, amino, nitro, cyano, haloalkyl or acetamido radicals;
• heterocyclyl or heterocycloalkyl means a saturated or partially unsaturated monocyclic, bicyclic or tricyclic heterocycle having one or more nitrogen, oxygen or sulphur heteroatoms and is optionally substituted on one or more carbon atoms by halogen, alkyl, alkoxy or oxo radicals, on a secondary nitrogen atom by alkyl, aralkoxycarbonyl, alkanoyl, phenyl or phenylalkyl radicals, or on a tertiary nitrogen atom by oxido radical;
• and heteroaryl means an aromatic monocyclic, bicyclic, or tricyclic heterocyclyl which is optionally substituted as defined for heterocyclyl.