5343-54-4

The present application discloses a compound of formula (I) or a salt thereof: (I) and compositions comprising such compound or salt thereof. The use of such compound, salt thereof or composition comprising same for treating anemia or leukopenia, fibrosis, cancer, hypertension and/or a metabolic condition in a subject is also disclosed.

A new shelf-stable and easily scalable difluoromethylthiolating reagent S-(difluoromethyl) benzenesulfonothioate (PhSO2SCF2H) was developed. PhSO2SCF2H is a powerful reagent for radical difluoromethylthiolation of aryl and alkyl boronic acids, decarboxylative difluoromethylthiolation of aliphatic acids, and a phenylsulfonyl-difluoromethylthio difunctionalization of alkenes under mild reaction conditions.

A series of fatty acid anilides was prepared, and compounds were tested for their ability to inhibit the enzyme acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) in vitro and to lower plasma total cholesterol and elevate high- density lipoprotein cholesterol in cholesterol-fed rats in vivo. The compounds reported were found to fall into two subclasses with different anilide SAR. For nonbranched acyl analogues, inhibitory potency was found to be optimal with bulky 2,6-dialkyl substitution. For α-substituted acyl analogues, there was little dependence of in vitro potency on anilide substitution and 2,4,6-trimethoxy was uniquely preferred. Most of the potent inhibitors (IC50 50 nM) were found to produce significant reductions in plasma total cholesterol in cholesterol-fed rats. Additionally, in vivo activity could be improved significantly by the introduction of α,α- disubstitution into the fatty acid portion of the molecule. A narrow group of α,α-disubstituted trimethoxyanilides, exemplified by 2,2-dimethyl-N-(2,4,6- trimethoxyphenyl)dodecanamide (39), was found to not only lower plasma total cholesterol (-60%) in cholesterol-fed rats but also elevate levels of high- density lipoprotein cholesterol (+94%) in this model at the screening dose of 0.05% in the diet (ca. 50 mg/kg).

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