Hydrazones and analogs as cholesterol lowering agents

A pharmaceutical composition for lowering blood cholesterol, comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient and a compound of the formula

• wherein
• the subscript n is an integer of from 1 to 2;
• the lowercase letters a, b and c are each independently CH or N with the proviso that only one of a, b or c is N, each Z1 is independently selected from hydroxy, halogen, amino, nitro, cyano, substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic heterocycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C10)alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C10)alkoxy, substituted or unsubstituted benzyloxy, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C8)acylamine, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C8)alkylamine and substituted or unsubstituted di(C1-C8)alkylamine, and the subscript m is an integer of from 1 to 4;
• W is substituted or unsubstituted aryl;
• Y is a member selected from the group consisting of —CO2R′, —CH2OR′, —C(O)R′, —C(O)NR′R″ and —CH2NR′R″, wherein R′ and R″ are each members independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and (C1-C8)alkyl;
• and
• each Z2 is a member independently selected from the group consisting of hydroxy, halogen, amino, nitro, cyano, substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic heterocycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C10)alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C10)alkoxy, substituted or unsubstituted benzyloxy, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C8)acylamine, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C8)alkylamine and substituted or unsubstituted di(C1-C8)alkylamine.

A method of treating a disease or condition selected from the group consisting of hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipidemia and other metabolic disorders associated with abnormally high levels of lipoproteins, cholesterol or triglycerides, said method comprising administering to a subject in need of such treatment an effective amount of a compound having the formula:

• wherein
• the subscript n is an integer of from 1 to 2;
• the lowercase letters a, b and c are each independently CH or N with the proviso that only one of a, b or c is N, each Z1 is independently selected from hydroxy, halogen, amino, nitro, cyano, substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic heterocycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C10)alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C10)alkoxy, substituted or unsubstituted benzyloxy, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C8)acylamine, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C8)alkylamine and substituted or unsubstituted di(C1-C8)alkylamine, and the subscript m is an integer of from 1 to 4;
• W is substituted or unsubstituted aryl;
• Y is a member selected from the group consisting of —CO2R′, —CH2OR′, —C(O)R′, —C(O)NR′R″ and —CH2NR′R″, wherein R′ and R″ are each members independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and (C1-C8)alkyl;
• and
• each Z2 is a member independently selected from the group consisting of hydroxy, halogen, amino, nitro, cyano, substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic heterocycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C10)alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C10)alkoxy, substituted or unsubstituted benzyloxy, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C8)acylamine, substituted or unsubstituted (C1-C8)alkylamine and substituted or unsubstituted di(C1-C8)alkylamine.