Cerebroprojection method

A method of providing cerebroprotection in a warm-blooded animal which comprises administering to said animal a therapeutically effective amount of a carbocyclically and heterocyclically fused dihydropyridine of formula ##STR99## or the tautomeric form thereof of formula ##STR100## wherein X represents OR.sub.1 ;

• NHR.sub.2 ;
• NR.sub.3 R.sub.4 and R.sub.1 represents hydrogen, C.sub.1-4 -alkyl, C.sub.1-4 -alkoxyalkyl
• R.sub.2 represents hydrogen;
• C.sub.3-6 -alkenyl, C.sub.3-6 -alkynyl;
• C.sub.3-6 -cycloalkyl;
• C.sub.3-6 -cycloalkenyl;
• straight-chained or branched C.sub.1-6 -alkyl which may if desired be mono- or polysubstituted with the substituents of groups a) to c) listed below, which may be identical or different:
• a) halogen;
• cyano;
• hydroxy;
• mercapto;
• C.sub.1-4 -alkoxy;
• C.sub.1-4 -alkylthio;
• amino;
• mono-C.sub.1-4 -alkylamino;
• di-C.sub.1-4 -alkylamino (wherein the alkyl radical may be identical or different) phenoxy (wherein the phenyl ring may be substituted as described in b) below.
• b) phenyl;
• optionally mono- or polysubstituted, by identical or different substituents, by the groups halogen, trifluoromethyl, C.sub.1-4 -alkoxy, hydroxy, mercapto, C.sub.1-4 -alkylthio, C.sub.1-4 -alkyl, amino, mono-C.sub.1-4 -alkylamino, di-C.sub.1-4 -alkylamino (wherein the alkyl groups may be identical or different), C.sub.2-3 -acylamino, C.sub.2-3 -acyloxy and the group --O--(CH.sub.2).sub.n --O vicinally by bound to the phenyl system (wherein n=1 or 2)
• c) a 5- or 6-membered saturated or wholly or partially unsaturated monocyclic heterocyclic group having up to 3 heteroatoms selected from the group N, O, S;
• and as a bicyclic heterocycle indole (whilst the above-mentioned heterocycles may be mono- or polysubstituted by C.sub.1-4 -alkyl), C.sub.3-6 -cycloalkyl;
• C.sub.5 or C.sub.6 -cycloalkenyl;
• C.sub.2-3 -acyl;
• C.sub.1-4 -alkylsulphonyl;
• or phenyl (which may in turn be substituted up to three times as described in b));
• or R.sub.2 represents phenyl, which may be substituted as described in b) above;
• R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 independently of each other represent C.sub.1-4 -alkyl, which may if desired be phenyl-substituted, whilst the phenyl substituent may in turn be substituted as under b) hereinbefore;
• or
• R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 together with the nitrogen atom to which they are bound represent a wholly or partially saturated heterocyclic 5- or 6-membered ring (which may also contain up to 2 further heteroatoms from the group N, O, S), whilst the heterocyclic group thus obtained may be substituted by C.sub.1-4 -alkyl, hydroxy or (CH.sub.2).sub.p -R.sub.5 (where p=0 or 1) and
• R.sub.5 represents a phenyl radical which is optionally substituted as under b) hereinbefore;
• A represents the fused ring systems ##STR101## wherein R.sub.8 represents hydrogen;
• C.sub.1-4 -alkyl or C.sub.1-4 -alkoxy
• R.sub.6 and R.sub.7 which may be identical or different represent hydrogen;
• hydroxy;
• C.sub.1-4 -alkyl;
• C.sub.1-4 -alkoxy;
• amino;
• methanesulphonylamino or
• R.sub.6 and R.sub.7 together represent -O--(CH.sub.2).sub.n --O-- (where n=1 or 2)
• R.sub.9 represents hydrogen;
• C.sub.1-4 -alkyl
• R.sub.10 represents hydrogen or 2-phenyl-2-ethoxycarbonylacetyl;
• and the salts thereof with physiologically acceptable acids, bases or complex-forming agents.