Peptidic phosphinyloxymethyl ketones as interleukin-1.beta.-converting enzyme inhibitors

A pharmaceutical composition for inhibiting interleukin-1.beta. protease comprising a compound of the formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof:

• ##STR17## wherein:
• n is 0-4;
• Y is ##STR18## and when R.sub.3 is OH, then Y can also be ##STR19## R.sub.2 is H or deuterium;
• R.sub.3 is OH, OR.sub.7, NR.sub.7 OR.sub.8 or NR.sub.7 R.sub.8 ;
• where R.sub.7 and R.sub.8 are independently H, alkyl, cycloalkyl, benzyl, or phenyl;
• R.sub.4 is H or lower alkyl;
• R.sub.5 and R.sub.6 are optionally and independently selected from H, OH, alkyl, alkoxy, and phenyloxy;
• AA is independently selected from the group consisting of (a) and (b) where (a) is defined as an amino acid of formula II ##STR20## wherein R.sub.7 and R.sub.8 are defined as above and R.sub.9 is (CR.sub.6 R.sub.7).sub.0-6 -R.sub.10 ;
• where R.sub.10 is a radical optionally selected from R.sub.11, where R.sub.11 is described below;
• and
• where group (b) is selected from the group consisting of:
• ##STR21## where W and X are optionally CH.sub.2, or O;
• R.sub.11 is R.sub.10 --C--, where R.sub.10 is defined previously;
• R.sub.11 is H, alkyl, alkenyl, hydroxy, benzyl, alkoxy, 2-(alkyoxy)ethoxy, 2-(alkyoxy)aminoethyl and 2-(alkyoxy)-N-alkylaminoethyl, alkylacyloxy, alkylacyl, halo, haloalkyl, guanidino, mono- and di-alkylguanidino, alkylacylguanidino, amidino, mono- and di-alkylamidino, amino, mono- and dialkylamino, carboxy, alkylcarboxy, carbalkoxy, carbalalkoxy, carbalkoxyalkenyl, carboxamido, mono- and dialkylcarboxamido, mono- and diarcarboxamido, thio, alkylthio, sulfonamido, mono- and di-alkylsulfonamido, morpholinosulfonamido, alkylsulfonyl, nitro, cyano, N-morpholinoalkyl, N-morpholinoalkoxy, N-mono and N,N-dialkylaminoalkyl and N-mono- and N,N-dialkylaminoethoxy, in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.