Vitamin d analogues

Abstract

##STR1## The present invention relates to compounds of formula (I), in which formula n is 2 or 3, m is 0 or an integer from 1-4; R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 (which may be the same or different) stand for hydrogen or C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 -hydrocarbyl, hydrocarbyl indicating the residue after removal of a hydrogen atom from a straight, branched or cyclic saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon, or taken together with the carbon bearing the hydroxyl group (starred in formula (I)), R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 can form a saturated or unsaturated C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 carboxylic ring; in addition, R.sup.1 and/or R.sup.2 and/or one of the m carbons designated by the '.degree.' may be optionally substituted with one or more chlorine or fluorine atom(s); and finally one of the carbons designated '.degree.' may optionally be substituted by one or two C.sub.1 -C.sub.2 alkyl group(s); and derivatives of the compounds of formula (I) in which one or more hydroxy have been transformed into -O-acyl or O-glycosyl or phosphate ester groups; such masked groups being hydrolyzable in vivo. The present compounds find use in both the human and vertinary practice in the treatment and prophylaxis of autoimmune diseases (including diabetes mellitus), hypertension, acne, alopecia, skin ageing, imbalance in the immune system, inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma as well as diseases characterized by abnormal cell differentiation and/or cell proliferation, such as e.g. psoriasis and cancer.