N-alkanoylphenylalamine derivatives

A compound of the formula:

• wherein:
• one of X and X′ is H, halogen, or lower alkyl, and the other is a group of the formula:
• wherein:
• R1 is hydrogen or lower alkyl,
• R15 is halogen, nitro, lower alkyl sulfonyl, cyano, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, lower alkoxycarbonyl, carboxy, lower alkyl aminosulfonyl, perfluorolower alkyl, lower alkylthio, hydroxy lower alkyl, alkoxy lower alkyl, alkylthio lower alkyl, alkylsulfinyl lower alkyl, alkylsufonyl lower alkyl, lower alkylsulfinyl, lower alkanoyl, aryl, aryloxy, aroyl or a group of the formula R17—C≡C—,
• R16 is H, halogen, nitro, cyano, lower alkyl, OH, perfluorolower alkyl, or lower alkylthio, and
• R17 is hydrogen, aryl, heteroaryl, or lower alkyl which is unsubstituted or substituted by OH, aryl, or heteroaryl, and
• a is 0 or 1;
• Y is a group of the formula:
• wherein:
• R22 and R23 are independently aryl, heteroaryl or lower alkyl which is unsubstituted or substituted by one or more chloro, bromo, nitro, hydroxy, lower alkoxy, aryl, lower alkanoyl, aroyl or cyano,
• R24 is aryl, cyano, alkylsulfonyl or lower alkyl or alkenyl unsubstituted or substituted by an aryl or heteroaryl ring, and when R22 is aryl and R23 is aryl or lower alkyl, H, and the total number of carbon atoms in R22, R23 and R24 is from 6 to 14;
• or
• Y is a 3-7 membered ring of the formula:
• wherein:
• R25 is lower alkyl, unsubstituted or fluorine substituted lower alkenyl, or a group of formula R26—(CH2)e—,
• R26 is aryl, heteroaryl, azido, cyano, hydroxy, lower alkoxy, lower alkoxycarbonyl, lower alkanoyl, lower alkylthio, lower alkyl sulfonyl, lower alkyl sulfinyl, perfluoro lower alkanoyl, nitro, or R26 is a group of formula —NR28R29, wherein:
• R28 H or lower alkyl,
• R29 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxycarbonyl, lower alkoxycarbonylaminocarbonyl, lower alkanoyl, aroyl, heteroaroyl, perfluoro lower alkanoyl, lower alkyl sulfonyl, lower alkylaminocarbonyl, arylaminocarbonyl, heterocycloalkyl carbonyl, lower alkylaminothiocarbonyl, or
• R28 and R29 taken together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached form a 4, 5 or 6-membered saturated heterocyclic ring containing one or two heteroatoms with the second heteroatom being O, S, or N—R27;
• Q is —(CH2)fO—, —(CH2)fS—, —(CH2)f—, or when f═0, a bond,
• R27 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, aryl, lower alkanoyl, aroyl, or lower alkoxycarbony;
• the carbon atoms in said ring are unsubstituted or substituted by lower alkyl or halogen,
• e is an integer from 0 to 4, and
• f is an integer from 0 to 3;
• and
• Z is hydrogen or lower alkyl;
• and the pharmaceutically acceptable salts and esters thereof.