Acetylenes disubstituted with a 5 substituted tetrahydronaphthyl group and with an aryl or heteroaryl group having retinoid-like biological activity

A compound of the formula ##STR9## wherein R.sub.1 is hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 10 carbons;

• R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are hydrogen, or alkyl of 1 to 6 carbons and the substituted ethynyl group occupies either the 2 or the 3 position of the tetrahydronaphthalene ring;
• m is an integer having the value of 0-3;
• o is an integer having the value 0-4;
• Y is phenyl optionally substituted with one or two R.sub.2 groups;
• A is (CH.sub.2).sub.n where n is 0-5, lower branched chain alkyl having 3-6 carbons, cycloalkyl having 3-6 carbons, alkenyl having 2-6 carbons and 1 or 2 double bonds, alkynyl having 2-6 carbons and 1 or 2 triple bonds;
• B is hydrogen, COOH or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, COOR.sub.8, CONR.sub.9 R.sub.10, --CH.sub.2 OH, CH.sub.2 OR.sub.11, CH.sub.2 OCOR.sub.11, CHO, CH(OR.sub.12).sub.2, CHOR.sub.13 O, --COR.sub.7, CR.sub.7 (OR.sub.12).sub.2, CR.sub.7 OR.sub.13 O, or tri-lower alkylsilyl, where R.sub.7 is an alkyl, cycloalkyl or alkenyl group containing 1 to 5 carbons, R.sub.8 is an alkyl group of 1 to 10 carbons or (trimethylsilyl)alkyl where the alkyl group has 1 to 10 carbons, or a cycloalkyl group of 5 to 10 carbons, or R.sub.8 is phenyl or lower alkylphenyl, R.sub.9 and R.sub.10 independently are hydrogen, an alkyl group of 1 to 10 carbons, or a cycloalkyl group of 5-10 carbons, or phenyl or lower alkylphenyl, R.sub.11 is lower alkyl, phenyl or lower alkylphenyl, R.sub.12 is lower alkyl, and R.sub.13 is divalent alkyl radical of 2-5 carbons;
• the wavy line represents a single valence bond around which the configuration can be syn or anti, and
• Z is OC(R.sub.15)(R.sub.16)XR.sub.17, where X is O or S;
• R.sub.15 is hydrogen or lower alkyl of 1 to 6 carbons, and R.sub.16 and R.sub.17 jointly form a ring having a total of 4 to 5 carbons and the X heteroatom.