Phophylactic and therapeutic use of hydroxysteroids

A method of protecting a mammal against ischaemia-induced tissue damage in peripheral organs, comprising administering to a patient in need thereof, wherein said patient is a mammal, an effective amount of a steroid in which the steroid is a compound of formula (I):

• wherein
• R1 and R2 represent a hydrogen atom;
• the —OR2 group at the 7-position is in the β-configuration;
• one of Ra and Rb represents a group of formula —Rc in the β configuration, and the other represents a hydrogen atom, or Ra and Rb together represent an oxo group;
• Rc represents an aryl-carbonyl group, in which the aryl part is an aromatic carbocyclic group having from 6 to 10 ring carbon atoms, a heterocyclic-carbonyl group, as defined below, or a group of formula —OR4, where R4 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group having from 2 to 6 carbon atoms, an alkynyl group having from 2 to 6 carbon atoms, an aryl group having from 6 to 10 carbon atoms, a formyl group, an alkylcarbonyl group having from 2 to 7 carbon atoms, an alkenylcarbonyl group having from 3 to 7 carbon atoms, an alkynylcarbonyl group having from 3 to 7 carbon atoms, an arylcarbonyl group having from 7 to 11 carbon atoms, an aralkylcarbonyl group having from 8 to 15 carbon atoms, an aralkenylcarbonyl group having from 9 to 15 carbon atoms, a residue of an amino acid, or a heterocyclic-carbonyl group, as defined herein;
• the ring A,
• is a benzene or cyclohexane ring;
• when ring A is a cyclohexane ring, the dotted line in ring B represents a single carbon-carbon bond and n is 1;
• or when ring A is a benzene ring, the dotted line in ring B represents a single carbon-carbon bond and n is 0;
• said heterocyclic-carbonyl group is a group of formula R3—CO, where R3 represents a heterocyclic group having from 3 to 7 ring atoms, of which from 1 to 3 are hetero-atoms selected from nitrogen atoms, oxygen atoms and sulphur atoms, and the remaining atom or atoms of which there is at least one is or are carbon atoms;
• said alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl groups and the alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl parts of said alkylcarbonyl, alkenylcarbonyl and alkynylcarbonyl groups being unsubstituted or having at least one of the following substituents ψ:
• substituents ψ:
• hydroxy groups, mercapto groups, halogen atoms, amino groups, alkylamino groups having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, dialkylamino groups in which each alkyl group has from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, carbamoyl groups, nitro groups, alkoxy groups having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkylthio groups having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, carboxy groups, alkoxycarbonyl groups and unsubstituted aryl groups having from 6 to 10 carbon atoms;
• said aryl groups, said heterocyclic groups, and the aryl parts of said arylcarbonyl groups and said aralkylcarbonyl groups being unsubstituted or having at least one of the following substituents ξ:
• substituents ξ:
• any of substituents ψ, and alkyl groups having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, hydroxyalkyl groups having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and haloalkyl groups having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms;
• and pharmaceutically acceptable salts and esters thereof.