Sulfone hair growth compositions and uses

A method for treating alopecia or promoting hair growth in an animal in need thereof, which comprises administering to said animal an effective amount of a compound of formula V

• or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, ester, or solvate thereof, wherein:
• V is C, N, or S;
• J and K, taken together with V and the carbon atom to which they are respectively attached, form a 5-7 membered saturated or unsaturated heterocyclic ring which has one or more heteroatom(s) selected from the group consisting of O, S, SO, SO2, N, NH, and NR;
• R is either C1-C9 straight or branched chain alkyl, C2-C9 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C3-C9 cycloalkyl, C5-C7 cycloalkenyl, or Ar1, wherein R is either unsubstituted of substituted with one or more substituent(s) independently selected from the group consisting of halo, haloalkyl, carbonyl, carboxy, hydroxy, nitro, trifluoromethyl, C1-C6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C2-C6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C1-C4 alkoxy, C2-C4 alkenyloxy, phenoxy, benzyloxy, thioalkyl, alkylthio, sulfhydryl, amino, alkylamino, aminoalkyl, aminocarboxyl, and Ar2;
• Ar1 and Ar2 are independently an alicyclic or aromatic, mono-, bi- or tricyclic, carbo- or heterocyclic ring;
• wherein the individual ring size is 5-8 members;
• wherein said heterocyclic ring has 1-6 heteroatom(s) independently selected from the group consisting of O, N, and S;
• A is CH2, O, NH, or N—(C1-C4 alkyl);
• B and D are independently Ar, hydrogen, C1-C6 straight or branched chain alkyl, or C2-C6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, wherein said alkyl or alkenyl is unsubstituted or substituted with C5-C7 cycloalkyl, C5-C7 cycloalkenyl or Ar, and wherein one or two carbon atom(s) of said alkyl or alkenyl are optionally substituted with one or two heteroatom(s) independently selected from the group consisting of O, S, SO, and SO2, or
• wherein Q is hydrogen, C1-C6 straight or branched chain alkyl, or C2-C6 straight or branched chain alkenyl;
• and
• T is Ar or C5-C7 cycloalkyl substituted at positions 3 and 4 with one or more substituent(s) independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxy, O—(C1-C4 alkyl), O—(C2-C4 alkenyl), and carbonyl;
• provided that both B and D are not hydrogen;
• E is C1-C6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C2-C6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C5-C7 cycloalkyl, C5-C7 cycloalkenyl substituted with C1-C4 straight or branched chain alkyl or C2-C4 straight or branched chain alkenyl, (C2-C4 alkyl or C2-C4 alkenyl)-Ar, or Ar;
• and
• n is 0 to 3.