Tricyclic compounds for the inhibition of the ICE/ced-3 protease family of enzymes

A method of preventing or mitigating ischemic injury to a patient suffering from a disease having the potential to cause such an injury comprising administering, to a patient in need of such treatment, an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound of the formula:

• wherein:
• n is 1 or 2;
• m is 1 or 2;
• A is R2CO—, R3—O—CO—, or R4SO2—;
• a group of the formula:
• further wherein:
• R1 is a hydrogen atom, alkyl or phenylalkyl;
• R2 is alkyl, cycloalkyl, (cycloalkyl)alkyl, phenyl, phenylalkyl, substituted phenyl, (substituted phenyl)alkyl, heteroaryl, or (heteroaryl)alkyl;
• R3 is alkyl, cycloalkyl, (cycloalkyl)alkyl, phenylalkyl or (substituted phenyl)alkyl;
• R4 is alkyl, cycloalkyl, (cycloalkyl)alkyl, phenyl, phenylalkyl, substituted phenyl, (substituted phenyl)alkyl, heteroaryl, or (heteroaryl)alkyl;
• R5 is alkyl, cycloalkyl, (cycloalkyl)alkyl, phenyl, phenylalkyl, heterozryl, or (heteroaryl)alkyl;
• R6 is alkyl, cycloalkyl, (cycloalkyl)alkyl, phenylalkyl, or (substituted phenyl)alkyl;
• R7 is alkyl, cycloalkyl, (cycloalkyl)alkyl, phenyl, phenylalkyl, substituted phenyl, (substituted phenyl)alkyl, heteroaryl, or (heteroaryl)alkyl;
• R8 is an amino acid side chain chosen from the group consisting of natural and unnatural amino acids;
• B is a hydrogen atom, a deuterium atom, alkyl, cycloalkyl, (cycloalkyl)alkyl, phenyl, phenylalkyl, substituted phenyl, (substituted phenyl)alkyl, heteroaryl, (heteroaryl)alkyl, or halomethyl;
• a group of the formula:
• —CH2XR9;
• wherein R9 is phenyl, substituted phenyl, phenylalkyl, (substituted phenyl)alkyl, heteroaryl, and (heteroaryl)alkyl;
• and X is an oxygen or a sulfur atom;
• a group of the formula:
• CH2—O—CO—(aryl);
• or a group of the formula:
• —CH2—O—CO—(heteroaryl);
• a group of the formula:
• —CH2—O—PO—(R10)R11;
• wherein R10 and R11 are independently selected from a group consisting of alkyl, cycloalkyl, phenyl, substituted phenyl, phenylalkyl, and (substituted phenyl)alkyl;
• and a pharmaceutically-acceptable salt thereof.