Novel sypathomimetic amine prodrugs

Abstract

Novel, transient prodrug forms of the phenolic dihydroxy sympathomimetic amines have (i) the structural formula (I): ##STR1## wherein X is O, S or NR.sup.5 ; n is 1 or 2; R.sup.1 is the monodehydroxylated residue of a phenolic, nuclear dihydroxy natural sympathetic or sympathomimetic amine when n is 1, and the didehydroxylated residue of a phenolic, nuclear dihydroxy natural sympathetic or sympathomimetic amine when n is 2; R.sup.2 is selected from the group consisting of straight or branched chain alkyl having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms; aryl having from 6 to 10 carbon atoms; cycloalkyl having from 3 to 8 carbon atoms; alkenyl having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms; cycloalkenyl having from 4 to 8 carbon atoms; alkynyl having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms; aralkyl, alkaryl, aralkenyl, aralkynyl, alkenylaryl, alkynylaryl, loweracyloxyalkyl, and carboxyalkyl, wherein alkyl, aryl, alkenyl and alkynyl are as defined above; saturated or unsaturated monoheterocyclic or polyheterocyclic, or fused heterocyclic, containing from 1 to 3 of any one or more of the hetero atoms N, S or O in each heterocyclic ring thereof and each such ring being from 3- to 8-membered; and mono-or poly-substituted derivatives of the above, each of said substituents being selected from the group consisting of lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, lower acyl, lower acyloxy, halo, haloloweralkyl, cyano, carbethoxy, loweralkylthio, amino, nitro, loweralkylamino, diloweralkylamino, carboxyl, carbamyl, loweralkylcarbamyl, diloweralkylcarbamyl and ##STR2## wherein R.sup.4 is hydrogen or alkyl having from 1 to 10 carbons; R.sup.3 is hydrogen, R.sup.2, lower acyl, cyano, haloloweralkyl, carbamyl, loweralkylcarbamyl, diloweralkylcarbamyl, --CH.sub.2 ONO.sub.2 and --CH.sub.2 OCOR.sup.2 ; R.sup.5 is hydrogen or lower alkyl; (ii) the structural formula (II): ##STR3## wherein X, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are as defined above and R.sup.1 is the didehydroxylated residue of a phenolic, nuclear dihydroxy natural sympathetic or sympathomimetic amine; (iii) either of the structural formulae (I) or (II) wherein ##STR4## is the residue of any naturally occurring protein amino acid, the residue of any N-substituted naturally occurring amino acid, which N-substituent is lower alkyl or any amino acid protective group cleavable via hydrogenolysis or hydrolysis, or the residue of an N, N-lower dialkyl or C.sub.4 -C.sub.7 cycloalkylamino acid; and (iv) the non-toxic, pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.