Azospiro compounds as NK1 or NK2 antagonists

A compound of formula I:

• wherein:
• m is the integer 0 or 1;
• Q.sup.2 is hydrogen or (C.sub.1 -C.sub.3)alkyl;
• Q.sup.4 is phenyl, which may bear one or two substituents independently selected from halo, trifluoromethyl, hydroxy, (C.sub.1 -C.sub.3)alkoxy and (C.sub.1 -C.sub.3)alkyl;
• or Q.sup.4 is thienyl, imidazolyl, benzothiophenyl or naphthyl, any of which may bear a halo substituent;
• or Q.sup.4 is biphenylyl;
• or Q.sup.4 is carbon-linked indolyl, which may bear a benzyl substituent at the 1-position;
• and
• Q.sup.5 is formyl, 4-imidazolidinyl, 3-pyrrolidinyl (wherein the nitrogen is substituted by hydrogen, (C.sub.1 -C.sub.3)alkyl, acyl, or benzyloxycarbonylaminoacetyl), (C.sub.3 -C.sub.6)cycloalkyl, trifluoromethyl, 4-piperidino (wherein the nitrogen is substituted by hydrogen, (C.sub.1 -C.sub.3)alkyl, or acyl), aryl, heteroaryl, pyrid-1-ylmethyl, fluorenyl, .beta.-styryl, a radical of formula XII-XXII:
• ##STR3## or xanthenyl;
• or Q.sup.5 is (C.sub.1 -C.sub.8)alkyl which may be substituted by 0-3 substituents selected from aryl, heteroaryl, (aryl)oxy, aryl(C.sub.1 -C.sub.3)-alkyl, heteroaryl(C.sub.1 -C.sub.3)alkyl, (C.sub.1 -C.sub.6)alkyl, (heteroaryl)oxy, benzyloxy, (C.sub.3 -C.sub.6)cycloalkyl, adamantyl, norbornanyl, .beta.-styryl, cyano, trifluoromethyl, oxo, hydroxy, (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkoxy, --NR.sup.a R.sup.b, --NC(.dbd.O)NR.sup.c R.sup.d, --NC(.dbd.O)OR.sup.e, --C(.dbd.O)OR.sup.f, --S(O)R.sup.g, --S(O).sub.2 R.sup.h, .dbd.NR.sup.i, SR.sup.j, and the radicals of formulae XII-XXII;
• R.sup.a -R.sup.b are independently selected from hydrogen, acyl, formyl, and (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkyl, or the group NR.sup.a R.sup.b may form a cyclic group selected from pyrrolidino, piperidino, morpholino, thiomorpholino (or its S-oxide) or piperazinyl (which piperazinyl may bear a (C.sub.1 -C.sub.3)alkyl substituent at the 4-position);
• R.sup.c -R.sup.f and R.sup.j are independently selected from hydrogen, phenyl, benzyl, phenethyl and (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkyl;
• R.sup.g and R.sup.h are independently selected from hydrogen, phenyl, benzyl, phenethyl, .beta.-styryl and (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkyl;
• R.sup.i is hydrogen, (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkyl, acyl or (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkoxy;
• wherein any aryl or heteroaryl in, or any aryl or heteroaryl portion of, Q.sup.5, or any aryl or heteroaryl portion of R.sup.a -R.sup.j, may be unsubstituted or may bear 1-5 substituents selected from halo, cyano, trifluoromethyl, (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkyl, (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkoxy, methylenedioxy, phenoxy, benzyloxy, NR.sup.k R.sup.m, --NS(O).sub.2 aryl (wherein the aryl group may be substituted by 0-3 (C.sub.1 -C.sub.3)alkyl groups), hydroxy, --SR.sup.n, and nitro;
• and wherein any .beta.-styryl may be substituted at the .beta.-position by a (C.sub.1 -C.sub.3)alkoxy;
• R.sup.k -R.sup.m are independently selected from hydrogen, acyl, formyl, and (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkyl, or the group NR.sup.k R.sup.m may form a cyclic group selected from pyrrolidino, piperidino, morpholino, thiomorpholino (or its S-oxide) or piperazinyl (which piperazinyl may bear a (C.sub.1 -C.sub.3)alkyl substituent at the 4-position);
• and
• R.sup.n is hydrogen or (C.sub.1 -C.sub.3)alkyl;
• or the N-oxide of a piperidino nitrogen in Q.sup.1 indicated by .DELTA. in formula I;
• or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof;
• or a quaternary ammonium salt thereof in which the piperidino nitrogen in Q.sup.1 indicated by .DELTA. in formula I is a quadricovalent ammonium nitrogen wherein the fourth radical on the nitrogen, R.sup.1, is (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkyl or benzyl and the associated counterion, A, is a pharmaceutically acceptable anion.