Compounds for the treatment of metabolic diseases

A compound of the formula (I)

• or a salt thereof
• wherein
• Ar is an optionally substituted monocyclic or fused aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system, wherein said fused aromatic ring system is an aryl fused with another aromatic ring;
• X is —C(R4R5)—, —N(R4)—, or —S(O)n—;
• n is an integer of 0-2;
• R1, R2, R3, R4, and R6 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C1-C10)alkyl, (C2-C10)alkenyl, (C2-C10)alkynyl, (C1-C 10)alkylene, (C1-C10)alkoxy, (C2-C10)dialkylamino, (C1-C10)alkylthio, (C2-C10)heteroalkyl, (C2-C10)heteroalkylene, (C3-C10)cycloalkyl, (C3-C10)heterocycloalkyl, (C3-C10)cycloalkylene, (C3-C10)heterocycloalkylene, halo, (C 1-C 10)haloalkyl, (C1-C10)perhaloalkyl, (C2-C10)-alkenyloxy, (C3-C 10)-alkynyloxy, aryloxy, arylalkyloxy, heteroaryloxy, heteroarylalkyloxy, (C1-C6)alkyloxy-(C1-C4)alkyl, aryl or substituted aryl, heteroaryl or substituted heteroaryl selected from 1-pyrrolyl, 2-pyrrolyl, 3-pyrrolyl, 1-pyrazolyl, 3-pyrazolyl, 5-pyrazolyl, 2-imidazolyl, 4-imidazolyl, pyrazinyl, 2-oxazolyl, 4-oxazolyl, 5-oxazolyl, 3-isoxazolyl, 4-isoxazolyl, 5-isoxazolyl, 2-thiazolyl, 4-thiazolyl, 5-thiazolyl, 2-furyl, 3-furyl, 2-thienyl, 3-thienyl, 2-pyridyl, 3-pyridyl, 4-pyridyl, 2-pyrimidyl, 4-pyrimidyl, 2-pyrimidinyl, 4-pyrimidinyl, 5-pyrimidinyl, 3-pyridazinyl or 4-pyridazinyl, and arylalkyl or substituted arylalkyl;
• R2 may be further substituted by R6;
• R5 is selected from hydrogen and optionally substituted (C1-C3)alkyl;
• - - - - , - - - - - - , or - - - - - - - - define that R1 and R4, when not selected from halo, may optionally be connected to the benzene ring in ortho position relative to X, to R3, to X or to each other by a covalent bond, —O—, or —S(O)n—,
• wherein substituted means one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of —OR′, ═O, ═NR′, ═N—OR′, —NR′R″, —SR′, halogen, —OC(O)R′, —C(O)R′, —CO2R′, —CONR′R″, —OC(O)NR′R″, —NR′—C(O)NR″R′″, —NR′—SO2NR″R′″, —NH—C(NH2)═NH, —NR′C(NH2)═NH, —NH—C(NH2)═NR′, —SiR′R″R′″, —S(O)R′, —SO2R′, —SO2NR′R″, —NR″SO2R, —CN, —(C2-C5)alkynyl, —(C2-C5)alkenyl, and —NO2, in a number ranging from zero to three, said R′, R″ and R′″ each independently refer to hydrogen, unsubstituted (C1-C6)alkyl and (C2-C6)heteroalkyl, unsubstituted aryl, aryl substituted with one to three halogens, unsubstituted (C1-C4)-alkyl, (C1-C4)-alkoxy or (C1-C4)-thioalkoxy groups, halo(C1-C4)alkyl, or aryl-(C1-C4)alkyl groups, provided that when R′ and R″ are attached to the same nitrogen atom, they can be combined with the nitrogen atom to form a 5-, 6- or 7-membered ring;
• with the proviso that the following compounds are excluded from protection:
• 2-[4-[2-(4-methylphenyl)ethynyl]phenoxy]-acetic acid,
• 4-[2-(1-pyrenyl)ethynyl]-benzenepropanoic acid,
• 4-[2-[4-(carboxymethoxy)phenyl]ethynyl]-2,6-Pyridinedicarboxylic acid,
• N,N′-[[4[[4-(carboxymethoxy)phenyl]ethynyl]-2,6-pyridinediyl]bis(methylene)]bis[N-[2-(1,1-dimethylethoxy)-2-oxoethyl]-glycine,
• N,N′-[[4-[[4-(carboxymethoxy)phenyl]ethynyl]-2,6-pyridinediyl]bis(methylene)]bis[N-[2-(1,1-dimethylethoxy)-2-oxoethyl]-glycine 1,1′-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl) ester,
• 2-[4-(2-phenylethynyl)phenoxy]-acetic acid,
• N-[4[[5-[(2,4-diamino-5-pyrimidinyl)methyl]-2,3-dimethoxyphenyl]ethynyl]phenyl]-N-[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]glycine,
• 4-[[6-amino-9-(N-ethyl-β-D-ribofuranuronamidosyl)-9H-purin-2-yl]ethynyl]-benzenepropanoic acid,
• 4-[2-[4-amino-7[2-deoxy-5-O-[hydroxy[[hydroxy(phosphonooxy)phosphinyl]oxy]-phosphinyl]-β-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl]-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-5-yl]ethynyl]-L-phenylalanine,
• 4-[2-[6-amino-9-[2-deoxy-5-O-[hydroxy[[hydroxy(phosphonooxy)phosphinyl]oxy]-phosphinyl]-β-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl]-9H-purin-8-yl]ethynyl]-L-phenylalanine,
• 4-[2-[4-amino-7-(2-deoxy-β-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-6-yl]ethynyl]-L-phenylalanine,
• [2-[6-amino-9-(2-deoxy-β-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-9H-purin-8-yl]ethynyl]-L-phenylalanine, and
• 2-[4-[2-(4-cyclobutyl-2-thiazol)ethynyl]-2-(2H-tetrazol-5-yl)phenoxy]-acetic acid.