Carboxyalkyl heterocyclic derivatives

Abstract: A compound is provided represented by the following general formula (A) wherein two of R a , R b and R c are oxygen; X is a kind of benzyl, a kind of benzothiazolylmethyl, or a kind of naphthylmethyl; R is hydrogen or lower alkyl; n is an integer of 1 to 3; and Z indicates a direct bond or a bridging moiety containing one carbon atom. The compounds act as selective inhibitors of aldose reductase. The compounds provided are useful as drugs for therapy and prevention of various types of diabetic complications.

Description: The present invention relates to novel carboxyalkyl heterocyclic derivatives and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof and also to a pharmaceutical composition containing said compounds as the effective component. Diabetic neuropathy, diabetic cataract and retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic dermopathy and other diabetic microangiopathy have been known as chronic diseases as a result of diabetes which are difficult to treat. Participation of a polyol metabolic system may be given as a cause of these diabetic complications. Thus, when a hyperglycemic state results due to diabetes, utilization of glucose via a polyol metabolic pathway becomes several times as much as compared with the normal state and production of sorbitol by an aldose reductase is accelerated. It is presumed that, as a result thereof, intracellular sorbitol in peripheral nerves, retina, kidney, lens, artery and the like is accumulated excessively and it leads to cell edema and hypofunction due to an abnormal osmotic pressure in the cells. Accordingly, agents for inhibiting an aldose reductase have been thought to be effective for the therapy and the prevention of diabetic complications and have been studied. However, conventional aldose reductase inhibitors have a problem that they strongly inhibit other enzymes which do not participate in the polyol metabolic pathway such as an aldehyde reductase too. DE-A-2 612 926 discloses the use, as synthetic intermediates, of the compounds wherein R represents either hydrogen or an ethyl group. No pharmaceutical activity of these compounds is mentioned. EP-A-0 353 198 discloses parabanic derivatives substituted by three oxo groups. Such compounds are indicated to be useful as drugs for the treatment or prevention of diabetic conditions. Under such circumstances, the present inventors have conducted a study on inhibitors having a high enzyme selectivity to the aldose reductase participating in the sorbitol production with an object of therapy and prevention of the above-mentioned diabetic complications. As a result, the present inventors have found that the carboxyalkyl heterocyclic derivatives of the present invention exhibit an excellent inhibitory action with a high enzyme selectivity to aldose reductase whereby the present invention has been achieved. An object of the present invention is to offer novel carboxyalkyl heterocyclic derivatives and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof having an excellent inhibitory action to aldose reductase with a high enzyme selectivity and also to offer a therapeutic agent for diabetic complications containing said compounds as an effective component. According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a carboxyalkyl heterocyclic derivative represented by the general formula (A)' or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein two of R a , R b and R c are oxygen and the remaining one is a hydrogen atom (in which case R c is an oxygen atom, and Z represents a bridging moiety containing one unsaturaed carbon atom so that either R a or R b represents a single hydrogen atom bonded to the heterocyclic ring), two hydrogen atoms, C 1-3 alkylene, or a hydrogen atom and a hydroxyl group; X is benzyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen, benzothiazolylmethyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen, or naphthylmethyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen; R is a hydrogen atom or C 1-3 alkyl; n is an integer of 1 to 3; and Z indicates a direct bond (in which case the heterocyclic ring is 5-membered) or a bridging moiety containing one carbon atom (in which case the heterocyclic ring is 6-membered); with the proviso that if X is an unsubstituted benyzl group, Z is a direct bond, R a and R c are oxygen, R b represents two hydrogen atoms and n is 1 then R is neither a hydrogen atom nor an ethyl group. According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a carboxyalkyl heterocyclic derivative represented by the general formula (A), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof for use as a medicament: wherein two of R a , R b and R c are oxygen and the remaining one is a hydrogen atom (in which case R c is an oxygen atom, and Z represents a bridging moiety containing one unsaturaed carbon atom so that either R a or R b represents a single hydrogen atom bonded to the heterocyclic ring), two hydrogen atoms, C 1-3 alkylene, or a hydrogen atom and a hydroxyl group; X is benzyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen, benzothiazolylmethyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen, or naphthylmethyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen; R is a hydrogen atom or C 1-3 alkyl; n is an integer of 1 to 3; and Z indicates a direct bond (in which case the heterocyclic ring is 5-membered) or a bridging moiety containing one carbon atom (in which case the heterocyclic ring is 6-membered). In detail, the compounds of the present invention include the dioxoimidazolidine derivatives represented by the following general formula (I) and the dioxopyrimidine derivatives represented by the following general formula In the above-given general formula (I), two of R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are oxygen while another is lower alkylene (preferably an alkylene having 1 to 3 carbon atoms such as methylene, ethylene and propylene; particularly preferably, methylene), unsubstituted (i.e., two hydrogens are bonded there) or a combination of hydrogen and hydroxyl. In the general formula (II), one of R 4 and R 5 is oxygen whilst the other is unsubstituted. In the general formulae (I) and (II), X is benzyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen such as fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine, benzothiazolylmethyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen such as fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine or naphthylmethyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen such as fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine; R is hydrogen or lower alkyl (preferably, an alkyl having 1-3 carbon atoms such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl and tert-butyl); and n is an integer of 1-3 (preferably 1). The two broken lines in the general formula (II) represent one single bond and one double bond with the single bond being on the same side as the oxygen substituent represented by R 4 or R 5 . The carboxyalkyl heterocyclic derivatives of the present invention include the pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds represented by the above-given general formulae. They are salts, for example, with alkali metal such as sodium and potassium, with alkali earth metal such as calcium and magnesium, with metal such as aluminum and with bases such as ammonia and organic amines. Those salts may be manufactured by known methods from the carboxyalkyl heterocyclic derivatives of the present invention in a free state or may be mutually converted among the salts. When there are steric isomers such as cis-trans isomer, optical isomer and conformational isomer for the substances of the present invention, the present invention includes any and all of them. The carboxyalkyl heterocyclic derivatives of the present invention may be manufactured, for example, by the following methods. (1) In the case of dioxoimidazolidine derivatives in which R 3 in the general formula (I) is methylene, oxamic acid having a group corresponding to a substituent X is first made to react with glycine which is esterified, for example, with trimethylsilyl group to give an ester of X-substituted oxamideacetate. This is heated to reflux in acetic anhydride with sodium acetate or the like to give an ester of 3-X-2-methylidene-4,5-dioxoimidazolidine-1-carboxylic acid and then the ester such as trimethylsilyl ester is hydrolyzed to give a compound of the present invention in which R is hydrogen. (3) In the case of dioxoimidazolidine derivatives in which R 1 in the general formula (I) is unsubstituted, an amino acetate having a group corresponding to a substituent X is first made to react with alkyl isocyanatoacetate to give X-substituted N,N'-bis(alkoxycarbonylalkyl)urea. This is then heated to reflux in a mixed solvent of acetic acid and concentrated hydrochloric acid to manufacture 1-X-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-3-carboxylic acid. (4) In the case of dioxoimidazolidine derivatives in which R 2 in the general formula (I) is unsubstituted, alkyl 2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-carboxylate is made to react with a substituent X compound which is bonded with halogen, hydroxyl, lower alkyl-SO 2 -O- or phenyl-SO 2 -O- which may be substituted with lower alkyl whereby the substituent X is introduced into a dioxoimidazolidine skeleton to give an ester of the present invention. When this ester is subjected to a common hydrolysis as same as that mentioned hereinabove, a compound of the present invention in which R is hydrogen is obtained. (5) In the case of dioxoimidazolidine derivatives in which R 1 in the general formula (I) is methylene, alkyl isocyanatocarboxylate is made to react with methyl 2-(X-substituted amino)-3-hydroxypropionate followed by treating with an alkali such as potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide in a solvent such as water or alcohol to manufacture 1-X-5-methylidene-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-3-carboxylic acid. (6) In the case of dioxoimidazolidine derivatives in which R 2 in the general formula (I) is methylene, 3-X-substituted 5-benzylthioxymethylimidazolidine-2,4-dione is treated with sodium hydride and then made to react with alkyl halocarboxylate to give alkyl 3-X-5-methylidene-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-carboxylate. When this ester is subjected to a common hydrolysis as same as mentioned hereinabove, a compound of the present invention in which R is hydrogen is manufactured. (7) In the case of dioxoimidazolidine derivatives in which R 1 in the general formula (I) is hydrogen and hydroxyl, N-X-substituted urea is first made to react with benzyl 2-benzyloxy-2-hydroxyacetate to give 5-hydroxy-1-X-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine. Then this is made to react with alkyl halocarboxylate to manufacture alkyl 5-hydroxy-1-X-2,4-dioxo-imidazolidine-3-carboxylate. This ester can be converted to the compound of the present invention in which R is hydrogen when subjected to a common hydrolysis by the same manner as above. (8) In the case of dioxoimidazolidine derivatives in which R 2 in the general formula (I) is hydrogen and hydroxyl, alkyl N-carbamoylaminocarboxylate is made to react with benzyl 2-benzyloxy-2-hydroxyacetate to give alkyl 5-hydroxy-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-carboxylate. Then this is made to react with a substituent X compound which is bonded with halogen, hydroxyl, lower alkyl-SO 2 -O- or phenyl-SO 2 -O- which may be substituted with lower alkyl to introduce a substituent X into a dioxoimidazolidine skeleton whereupon an ester of the present invention is obtained. When this ester is subjected to the same common hydrolysis as mentioned above, the compound of the present invention in which R is hydrogen is manufactured. (9) In the case of a dioxopyrimidine derivatives in which R 5 in the general formula (II) presents a hydrogen atom, alkyl 2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-1-carboxylate is treated with sodium hydride and then made to react with a substituent X compound which is bonded with halogen, hydroxyl, lower alkyl-SO 2 -O- or phenyl-SO 2 -O- which may be substituted with lower alkyl to introduce a substituent X into a dioxopyrimidine skeleton whereupon alkyl 3-X-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-1-carboxylate is obtained. This ester can be converted to a compound of the present invention in which R is hydrogen by a common hydrolysis. (10) In the case of dioxopyrimidine derivatives in which R 4 in the general formula (II) represents a hydrogen atom, 3-X-uracil is treated with sodium hydride and then made to react with alkyl halocarboxylate to give 1-X-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-3-carboxylate. When this ester is subjected to the same common hydrolysis as above, the compound of the present invention in which R is hydrogen is manufactured. The resulting compounds of the present invention were purified by common means such as distillation, chromatography and recrystallization and identified by means of, for example, elementary analysis, melting point measurement, IR, NMR and MS. [Examples] As hereunder, several examples of the methods of manufacturing the compounds of the present invention are given. Example 1. (1) A reaction mixture solution comprising 150 mL of methylene chloride solution containing 6.96 g of N-(3-nitrobenzyl)-oxamic acid, 6.8 g of 2-(trimethyl)silyl ethyl ester of glycine and 0.1 g of 4-N,N'-dimethylaminopyridine was treated with 8.62 g of a water-soluble carbodiimide hydrochloride at 0°C. After the above mixture was stirred at room temperature for 20 hours, it was poured over water and extracted with methylene chloride for several times. The extracts were combined, washed with a saturated saline solution, dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated. This was purified by a silica gel column and recrystallized from a mixed solvent of ethyl acetate and acetone to give 4.41 g of N-2- (trimethylsilyl) ethyl N'-(3-nitrobenzyl)oxamideacetate. (2) The above-prepared product (4.90 g) and 3.35 g of sodium acetate were heated to reflux for two days in acetic anhydride. The reaction mixture was neutralized with sodium bicarbonate and extracted with ethyl acetate thrice. The extracts were combined, washed with a saturated solution of sodium bicarbonate and with a saturated saline solution, dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo . The resulting residue was purified by a silica gel column and recrystallized from a mixed solvent of ethyl acetate and acetone to give 2.19 g of 2-(trimethylsilyl)-ethyl 3-(3-nitrobenzyl)-2-methylidene-4,5-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetate. (3) The above-prepared product (0.76 g) was dissolved in a mixed solvent of 20 mL of tetrahydrofuran and 10 mL of hexane, then a 1M solution of tetrabutylammonium fluoride in tetrahydrofuran was added thereto at room temperature and the mixture was vigorously stirred for 2.5 hours. The reaction mixture was acidified with 2N hydrochloric acid and extracted with ethyl acetate thrice. The combined extract was dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated followed by recrystallizing from ethanol to give 3-(3-nitrobenzyl)-2-methylidene-4,5-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 1]. Melting point: 160.0-160.5°C MS(EI,70eV): 305 (M + '30), 288(32), 176(30), 136(100), 100(45), 90(91), 89(65), 54(56) IR(KBr): 3020(OH), 1740(C=O), 1684(C=O), 1533(NO 2 ), 1437, 1348(NO 2 ), 1192 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.10(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO), 4.47(s,1H,CH 2 =), 4.52(s,1H,CH 2 =), 4.70(d,J=16.2Hz,1H,CH 2 -Ar), 4.80(d,J=16.2Hz,1H,CH 2 -Ar), 7.65(dd,J=12.3,8.4Hz,1H,Ar), 7.83(d,J=12.3Hz,1H,Ar), 8.16(d,J=8.4Hz,1H,Ar), 8.24(s,1H,Ar), 12.96(brs,1H,OH) Elementary analysis (C 13 H 11 N 3 O 6 O.9H 2 O): Calculated (C=48.57,H=4.01,N=13.07), Found (C=48.84,H=3.92,N=12.77) Example 2. (1) To 3.0 g of N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-N'-(3-nitrobenzyl)-urea was added 5.0 g of a lawson reagent dissolved in 30 mL of 1,4-dioxane and the mixture was heated to reflux for 1.5 hours. The reaction mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate for several times and the extracts were combined, washed with a saturated saline solution, dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated. The resulting residue was purified by a silica gel column to give 2.5 g of N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-N'-(3-nitrobenzyl)thiourea. (2) The above-prepared product (2.5 g) was dissolved in 10 mL of methylene chloride and the solution was dropped into 10 mL of methylene chloride containing 1.0 mL of oxalyl chloride at room temperature. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for eight hours and concentrated in vacuo . This was then purified by a silica gel column to give ethyl 3-(3-nitrobenzyl)-4,5-dioxo-1-thioxoimidazolidine-1-acetate. (3) The above-prepared product was heated to reflux in a mixed solvent of 4.5 mL of acetic acid and 1.5 mL of hydrochloric acid for one hour and concentrated. To the resulting residue were added 4.5 mL of acetic acid and 1.5 mL of hydrochloric acid and the mixture was heated to reflux for one hour. After concentration, the residue was recrystallized from a mixed solvent of ethanol and hexane to give 0.23 g of 3-(3-nitrobenzyl)-4,5-dioxo-2-thioxoimidazolidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 2]. Melting point: 188.0-188.5°C MS(EI,70eV): 323(M + , 67)), 177(55), 161(63), 136(90), 90(100) IR(KBr) : 3000(OH), 1784(C=O), 1722(C=O), 1531(NO 2 ), 1435(C=S), 1346(NO 2 ), 1113 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.56 (s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO), 5.20 (s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 7.65(dd,J=8.0,7.3Hz,1H,Ar), 7.83(d,J=7.7Hz,1H,Ar), 8.16(d,J=8.0Hz,1H,Ar), 8.26(s,1H,Ar), 13.38(brs,1H,OH) Elementary analysis (C 12 H 9 N 3 O 6 S): Calculated C=44.58,H=2.81,N=13.00), Found (C=44.55,H=2.98,N=12.79) Example 3. (1) A solution (50 mL) of ether in which 5.3 g of N-benzyl aminoacetate was dissolved was added to 50 mL of solution of ether containing 3.4 mL of ethyl isocyanate acetate at room temperature and the mixture was vigorously stirred for 14 hours. The reaction mixture was concentrated and the residue was purified by a silica gel column to give 5.5 g of N-benzyl-N,N'-bis(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)urea. Melting point was 64.0-65.0°C. (2) A mixture of 1.7 g of the above-prepared product dissolved in 3 mL of acetic acid and 1 mL of concentrated hydrochloric acid was heated to reflux for four hours. After evaporating the solvent therefrom, 3 mL of acetic acid and 1 mL of concentrated hydrochloric acid were added to the residue followed by stirring for two hours. This was concentrated, well washed with water and recrystallized from ethanol to give 1.2 g of 1 -benzyl-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-3-acetic acid [Compound 3]. Melting point: 139.5-141.0°C MS(EI,70eV): 248(M + , 27) , 202(24), 189(11), 132(34), 118(39), 91(100), 65(32) IR(KBr): 2940(OH), 1759(C=O), 1749(C=O), 1684(C=O), 1470, 1207, 752, 702 cm -1 1 H-NMR(CDCl 3 ): 3.99(s, 2H, N-CH 2 -CO), 4.11(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO), 4.53(s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 7.20-7.40(m,5H,Ar), 13.15(brs,1H,OH) Elementary analysis (C 12 H 12 N 2 O 4 ) : Calculated (C=58.06,H=4.87,N=11.28), Found (C=57.54,H=5.00,N=11.02) (3) The same operations as above were carried out using N-3-nitrobenzyl aminoacetate as a starting material to give 1- (3-nitrobenzyl) -2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-3-acetic acid [Compound 4]. Melting point: 168.0-170.0°C MS(EI,70eV): 293(M + , 6), 276(85), 246(20), 163(24), 147(31), 136(97), 90(100), 56(55), 42(88) IR(KBr): 3100(OH), 1774(C=O), 1745(C=O), 1714(C=O), 1533(NO 2 ), 1469, 1359(NO 2 ), 1238, 1151, 752, 700 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.08(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO), 4.12(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO 2 ), 4.68(s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 7.67(dd,J=8.6,7.7Hz,1H,Ar), 7.76(d,J=7.7Hz,1H,Ar), 8.16(s,1H,Ar), 8.17(d,J=8.6Hz,1H,Ar), 13.20(brs,1H,OH) Elementary analysis (C 12 H 11 N 3 O 6 ): Calculated (C=49.15,H=3.78,N=14.33), Found (C=49.02,H=3.84,N=14.13) Example 4. (1) Concentrated hydrochloric acid (24.0 mL) was gradually dropped into 350 mL of an aqueous solution containing 27.5 g of diethyl iminodiacetate and 23.3 g of potassium cyanate. After stirring at room temperature for 18 hours, the reaction mixture was concentrated in vacuo . The residue was extracted with ethyl acetate for several times and the extracts were combined followed by drying over sodium sulfate. This was concentrated and the residue was recrystallized from ethanol to give 11.1 g of ethyl 2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetate as white crystals. (2) A solution of 815 mg of the above-prepared product dissolved in 30 mL of dimethylformamide was dropped into a suspension of 221 mg of sodium hydride in 20 mL of dimethylformamide at not higher than 0°C. The mixture was stirred for one hour more at the same temperature condition and then a solution of 1.3 g of 3-nitrobenzyl bromide dissolved in 30 mL of dimethylformamide was dropped thereinto at 0°C. The reaction mixture was stirred for two hours and added to an ice-cooled 2N hydrochloric acid with vigorous stirring. The resulting reaction mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate for several times and the combined extract was washed with a saturated physiological saline solution and concentrated to give a residue. This was purified by a silica gel column to give 1.32 g of ethyl 3-(3-nitrobenzyl)-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetate. (3) The above-prepared product (1.7 g) was heated to reflux in a mixed solvent of 12 mL of acetic acid and 4 mL of concentrated hydrochloric acid for one hour. After evaporating the solvent therefrom, 12 mL of acetic acid and 4 mL of concentrated hydrochloric acid were added to the residue and the mixture was heated to reflux for one hour more. This was poured over a mixed solution of ethyl acetate and 10% sodium hydroxide, the mixture was extracted with 10% sodium hydroxide for several times and the resulting aqueous extract was subjected to a reverse extraction for several times. The extracts were combined, dried over sodium sulfate, concentrated and recrystallized from ethanol to give 350 mg of 3-(3-nitrobenzyl)-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 6]. Melting point: 165.0-166.0°C MS(EI,70eV): 277(M-OH + ,8), 276(21), 248(67), 232(45), 219(23), 161(66), 136(59), 91(100), 89(86), 77(63) IR(KBr): 2990(OH), 1789(C=O), 1732(C=O), 1686(C=O), 1525(NO 2 ), 1464, 1351(NO 2 ), 1217, 949, 756 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.08(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO), 4.10(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO), 4.73(s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 7.65(dd,J=7.9,7.4Hz,1H,Ar), 7.74(d,J=7.9Hz,1H,Ar), 8.14(s,1H,Ar), 8.16(d,J=7.4Hz,1H,Ar), 13.09(brs,1H,OH) Elementary analysis (C 12 H 11 N 3 O 6 ): Calculated C=49.15,H=3.78,N=14.33), Found (C=48.82,H=3.83,N=14.14) (4) Ethyl 2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetate was subjected to the same reaction as above with benzyl bromide, 4-bromobenzyl bromide, 2-bromomethyl-4-chlorobenzothiazole, 2-bromomethyl-5-chlorobenzothiazole or 2-bromomethyl-1-bromonaphtalene to give ethyl 3-benzyl-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetate, ethyl 3-(4-bromobenzyl)-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetate, ethyl 3-[2-(4-chlorobenzothiazolyl)methyl]-2,4-dioximidazolidine-1-acetate, ethyl 3-[2-(5-chlorobenzothiazolyl)methyl]-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetate or ethyl 3-[2-(1-bromonaphtyl)methyl]-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetate. Then the same acidic hydrolysis as above was conducted to give 3-benzyl-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 5], 3-(4-bromobenzyl)-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 7], 3-[2-(4-chlorobenzothiazolyl)methyl]-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 9], 3-[2-(5-chlorobenzothiazolyl)methyl]-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 10] and 3-[2-(1-bromonaphtyl)methyl]-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 11]. [Compound 5] Melting point: 169.5-170.5°C MS(EI,70eV): 248(M + , 30), 208(18), 132(15), 104(19), 91(100), 42(78) IR(KBr): 3030(OH), 1765(C=O), 1718(C=O), 1670, 1207, 1153, 957, 764, 700 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.07(s,4H,N-CH 2 -CO), 4.57 (s,2H, CH 2 -Ar), 7.20-7.40(m,1H,Ar), 13.25(brs,1H,OH) Elementary analysis (C 12 H 12 N 2 O 4 ): Calculated (C=58.06,H=4.87,N=11.28), Found (C=58.02,H=4.73,N=11.32) [Compound 7] Melting point: 139.0-140.0°C MS(EI,70eV): 328(M + , 81 Br,18), 326(M + , 79 Br,20), 171(38), 169(40), 132(26), 42(100) IR(KBr): 3100(OH), 1774(C=O), 1732(C=O), 1705(C=O), 1471, 1406, 1244, 1203, 760 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.07(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO), 4.55 (s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 7.23(d,J=8.3Hz,2H,Ar), 7.53(d,J=8.3Hz,2H,Ar), 13.00(brs,1H,OH) Elementary analysis (C 12 H 11 BrN 2 O 4 ): Calculated (C=44.06,H=3.39,N=8.56), Found (C=43.96,H=3.45,N=8.49) [Compound 9] Melting point: 114.0-115.0°C (decomp.) MS(EI,70eV) m/z: 341(M + , 37 Cl, 14) 339(M + , 35 Cl, 38) 224(19), 169(24), 42(100) IR(KBr): 3283(NH), 3281(NH), 1662(C=O), 1397, 1034 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.12(s,2H,CH 2 -CO), 4.18(s,2H,CH 2 -CO), 5.08(s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 7.45(dd,J=8.2,7.6Hz,1H,Ar-H), 7.63(dd,J=7.6,1.2Hz,1H,Ar-H), 8.08(dd,J=8.2,1.2Hz,1H,Ar-H) Elementary analysis (C 13 H 10 ClN 3 O 4 S) Calculated (C=45.96,H=2.97,N=12.37), Found (C=45.96,H=2.93,N=12.59) [Compound 10] Melting point: 228.0-229.0°C MS(EI,70eV) m/z: 341(M + , 37 Cl,17) 339(M + , 35 Cl,43), 224(23), 169(24), 42(100) IR(KBr): 3300(OH), 1772, 1713(C=O), 1458, 1206, 1137 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.12(s,2H,CH 2 -CO), 4.17(s,2H,CH 2 -CO), 5.05(s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 7.51(d,J=8.2Hz,1H,Ar-H), 8.08(s,1H,Ar-H), 8.13(d,J=8.2Hz,1H,Ar-H), 13.05(brs,1H,COOH) Elementary analysis (C 13 H 10 ClN 3 O 4 S 2H 2 O): Calculated (C=45.47,H=3.05,N=12.23), Found (C=45.70,H=3.01,N=11.86) [Compound 11] Melting point: 81.0-82.0°C (decomp.) MS(EI,70eV) m/z: 378(M + , 81 Br,,2.8), 376(M + , 79 Br, 2.8), 297(100), 182(25), 139(22), 42(73) IR(KBr): 3300(OH), 1766, 1714(C=O), 1464, 1246, 761 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.12(s,2H,CH 2 -CO), 4.18(s,2H,CH 2 -CO), 4.88(s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 7.32(d,J=8.4Hz,1H,Ar-H), 7.63(dd,J=8.4,8.4Hz,1H,Ar-H), 7.71(dd,J=8.4,8.4Hz,1H,Ar-H), 7.97(d,J=8.4Hz,1H,Ar-H), 7.99(d,J=8.4Hz,1H,Ar-H), 8.24(d,J=8.4Hz,1H,Ar-H), 13.07(brs, 1H, COOH) Elementary analysis (C 16 H 13 BrN 2 O 4 ): Calculated (C=50.95,H=3.47,N=7.43), Found (C=50.92,H=3.54,N=7.44) Example 5. (1) A solution of 5.2 mL of diethyl azodicarboxylate in 30 mL of tetrahydrofuran was added to a solution of 5.13 g of 3-nitro-4-chlorobenzyl alcohol, 4.70 g of ethyl 2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetate and 8.68 g of triphenylphosphine in 30 mL of tetrahydrofuran at 0°C. The reaction mixture was poured over water and the mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate for several times. The extracts were combined, washed with a saturated saline solution, dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated. This was purified by a silica gel column and recrystallized from a mixed solvent of ethanol and water to give 7.01 g of ethyl 3-(3-nitro-4-chlorobenzyl)-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetate. (2) The above-prepared product was hydrolyzed by the same manner as mentioned in Example 4(3) to give 1.42 g of 3-(3-nitro-4-chlorobenzyl)-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 8]. Melting point: 167.0-168.5°C MS(EI,70eV): 327(M + , 1.6), 310(13), 195(15), 170(13), 42(100) IR(KBr): 3160(OH), 1749(C=O), 1707(C=O), 1531(NO 2 ), 1477, 1336(NO 2 ), 1053, 756 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.08(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO), 4.10 (s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO), 4.69(s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 7.60(d,J=8.4Hz,1H,Ar), 7.76(d,J=8.4Hz,1H,Ar), 7.97(s,1H,Ar), 13.08(brs,1H,OH) Elementary analysis (C 12 H 10 ClN 3 O 6 ) Calculated (C=43.99,H=3.08,N=12.82), Found (C=43.99,H=3.22,N=12.50) Example 6. (1) Ethyl isocyanatoacetate (1.9 mL) was added to a solution of 3.46 g of methyl 2-(3-nitrobenzyl)-amino-3-hydroxypropionate in 50 mL of ether at room temperature followed by stirring for seven hours vigorously. The precipitate which was separated out therefrom was collected by filtration, washed with ether and recrystallized from a mixed solvent of ethyl acetate and hexane to give 4.15 g of N-(3-nitrobenzyl)-N-[(1-methoxycarbonyl-2-hydroxy)ethyl]-N'-ethoxycarbonylmethylurea as white crystals. (2) The above-prepared product (2.53 g) was added, at 0°C, to a solution of 0.38 g of potassium hydroxide in a mixture of ethanol and water. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 24 hours and washed with ethyl acetate thrice. This was acidified with concentrated hydrochloric acid and the aqueous layer was subjected to a reverse extraction with ethyl acetate. The extract was concentrated and purified by a silica gel column to give 0.10 g of 1-(3-nitrobenzyl)-5-methylidene-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-3-acetic acid [Compound 12]. Melting point: 169.0-171.0°C IR(KBr): 3000(OH), 1738(C=O), 1718(C=O), 1662(C=O), 1527(NO 2 ), 1452, 1439, 1354(NO 2 ), 1250 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.24(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO), 5.01(s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 5.15(d,J=2.6Hz,1H,CH 2 =), 5.35(d,J=2.6Hz,1H,CH 2 =), 7.66(dd,J=8.1,7.7Hz,1H,Ar), 7.75(d,J=7.7Hz,1H,Ar), 8.17(d,J=8.1Hz,1H,Ar), 8.20(s,1H,Ar), 13.32(brs,1H,OH) Elementary analysis (C 13 H 11 N 3 O 6 ): Calculated (C=51.95,H=3.63,N=13.77), Found (C=50.95,H=3.61,N=13.70) Example 7. (1) A solution of 10 mL dimethylformamide in which 1.12 g of sodium hydride was suspended was dropped into a solution of 4.0 g of 3-(3-nitrobenzyl)-5-benzylthioxymethylimidazolidine-2,4-dione in 50 mL of dimethylformamide at not higher than 0°C. The mixture was stirred for one hour more under the same temperature condition and then dropped into a solution of 2.7 mL of ethyl bromoacetate in 40 mL of dimethylformamide at 0°C. This was stirred for 2.5 hours and the reaction mixture was added to an ice-cooled 2N hydrochloric acid with vigorous stirring. Then this was extracted with ethyl acetate for several times and the combined extract was washed with a saturated physiological saline solution twice, dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated. The residue was purified by a silica gel column and recrystallized from ethanol to give 0.69 g of ethyl 3-(3-nitrobenzyl)-5-methylidene-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetate. (2) The above-prepared product (241 mg) and 50.3 mg of potassium hydroxide were suspended in a mixed solution of methanol-water followed by stirring for 24 hours vigorously. The pH of the reaction mixture was adjusted to about 4 using 2N hydrochloric acid, concentrated and extracted with ethyl acetate for several times. The combined extract was dried over sodium sulfate, concentrated, washed with chloroform and the insoluble matters were filtered off. The filtrate was concentrated in vacuo to give 106 mg of 3-(3-nitrobenzyl)-5-methylidene-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 13]. IR(KBr): 3000, 1781(C=O), 1714(C=O), 1664(C=O), 1527(NO 2 ), 1450, 1444, 1351(NO 2 ) cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.40(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO), 4.84(s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 5.17(d,J=1.9Hz,1H,CH 2 =), 5.36(d,J=1.9Hz,1H,CH 2 =), 7.66(dd,J=7.6,7.6Hz,1H,Ar), 7.73(d,J=7.6Hz,1H,Ar), 8.14(s,1H,Ar), 8.16(d,J=7.6Hz,1H,Ar) Example 8. (1) N-(3-Nitrobenzyl)urea (78 g) was dissolved in 500 mL of 80% acetic acid, 120 g of benzyl 2-benzyloxy-2-hydroxyacetate was added thereto at 80°C and the mixture was stirred at 80°C for two hours. This was concentrated in vacuo and the solvent was evaporated therefrom by means of an azeotropic distillation with toluene. The residue was purified by a silica gel column and recrystallized from a mixed solvent of ethyl acetate and hexane to give 49 g of 5-hydroxy-1-(3-nitrobenzyl)-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine. (2) The above-prepared product (12.5 g) and 10 g of potassium bicarbonate were suspended in 150 mL of acetone, 9 mL of tert-butyl bromoacetate was added thereto and the mixture was heated to reflux for eight hours with stirring. Insoluble matters were filtered off, the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo , the residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate and the solution was washed with water and a saturated saline solution. Then this was dried over sodium sulfate, ethyl acetate was evaporated therefrom and the resulting residue was purified by a silica gel column to give 12.4 g of tert-butyl 5-hydroxy-1-(3-nitrobenzyl)-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-3-acetate. (3) The above-prepared product (3.6 g) was dissolved in a mixed solvent of 4N hydrochloric acid and dioxane and the solution was stirred at room temperature for six hours. The reaction solution was concentrated in vacuo to dryness and then chloroform was added to the residue followed by applying a stimulation to make it solidified. The solid was collected by filtration, washed with chloroform and dried to give 0.8 g of 5-hydroxy-1-(3-nitrobenzyl) -2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-3-acetic acid [Compound 14] as amorphous crystals. Melting point: 123.0-125.0°C MS(SIMS,glycerol) m/z: 310[M+H] + IR(KBr): 1782, 1718, 1529, 1466, 1352, 1236 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.09(d,J=17.6Hz,2H,CH 2 -CO 2 ), 4.13(d,J=17.6Hz,2H,CH 2 -CO 2 ), 4.58(d,J=16.2Hz,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 4.68(d,J=16.2Hz,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 5.28(s,1H,CH), 7.36(brs,1H,OH), 7.65(dd,J=8.1,7.7Hz,1H,Ar-H-5), 7.79(d,J=7.7Hz,1H,Ar-H-6), 8.14(d,J=8.1Hz,1H,Ar-H-4), 8.20(s,1H,Ar-H-2), 13.13(brs,1H,COOH) Elementary analysis (C 12 H 11 N 3 O 7 ): Calculated (C=46.61,H=3.58,N=13.59), Found (C=46.35,H=3.60,N=13.72) Example 9. (1) Ethyl N-carbamoylaminoacetate was made to react with benzyl 2-benzyloxy-2-hydroxyacetate by the same manner as mentioned in Example 8(1) to give ethyl 5-hydroxy-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetate. (2) The above-prepared product was condensed with 3-nitrobenzyl bromide by the same manner as mentioned in Example 8(2) to give ethyl 5-hydroxy-3-(3-nitrobenzyl)-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetate. (3) The above-prepared product (15 g) was suspended in a mixed solvent of acetic acid and hydrochloric acid and the mixture was heated to reflux with stirring for two hours. Then this was concentrated in vacuo , etherchloroform was added thereto and a stimulation was applied thereto to make it solidified. The solid was washed with ether and recrystallized from a mixed solvent of ethanol and water to give 8.1 g of 5-hydroxy-3-(3-nitrobenzyl)-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 15]. Melting point: 153.0-155.0°C MS(SIMS,glycerol) m/z: 310[M+H] + IR(KBr): 3533, 3494, 3431, 1776, 1735, 1713, 1527, 1468, 1350, 1238 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 3.90(d,J=18.0Hz,2H,CH 2 -CO 2 ), 4.16(d,J=18.0Hz,2H,CH 2 -CO 2 ), 4.73(d,J=15.6Hz,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 4.78(d,J=15.6Hz,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 5.24(s,1H,CH), 7.20(brs,1H,OH), 7.66(ddd,J=8.0,7.6,1.0Hz,1H,Ar-H-5), 7.76(d,J=7.6Hz,1H,Ar-H-6), 8.15-8.17(m,2H,Ar-H-2,Ar-H-4), 13.00(brs,1H,COOH) Elementary analysis (C 12 H 11 N 3 O 7 ) : Calculated (C=46.61,H=3.58,N=13.59), Found (C=46.88,H=3.72,N=13.81) Example 10. (1) A dimethyl sulfoxide solution (150 mL) containing 10.02 g of uracil, 3.3 mL of ethyl bromoacetate, 13.85 g of potassium carbonate and 4.52 g of sodium iodide was stirred at 90°C for six hours. The reaction mixture was poured over water and the mixture was extracted with chloroform. The extracts were combined, dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo . This was poured over a saturated saline solution, the mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate and the extract was dried over sodium sulfate. After concentration, the resulting residue was recrystallized from ethyl acetate to give 2.30 g of ethyl 2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-1-acetate. (2) The above-prepared product was dissolved in 40 mL of dimethyl sulfoxide and the solution was dropped into a suspension of 0.58 g of sodium hydride in 30 mL of dimethylformamide at not higher than 0°C. The mixture was stirred for 1.5 hours more and a solution of 3.42 g of 3-nitrobenzylbromide in 70 mL of dimethylformamide was added thereto at 0°C. The reaction mixture was stirred at 0°C for two hours, poured over water and the mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate for several times. The extracts were combined, washed with saturated saline solution, dried and concentrated. Then it was purified by a silica gel column and recrystallized from ethanol to give 1.86 g of ethyl 3-(3-nitrobenzyl)-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-1-acetate. (3) The above-prepared product (1.60 g), 6 mL of acetic acid and 2 mL of hydrochloric acid were mixed followed by heating to reflux for two hours. After concentration, it was heated to reflux for two hours more with 6 mL of acetic acid and 2 mL of hydrochloric acid. The solvent was evaporated therefrom and the residue was washed with water and recrystallized from ethanol to give 1.39 g of 3-(3-nitrobenzyl)-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 16] as white crystals. Melting point: 161.0-161.5°C MS(EI,70eV): 305(M + ,47), 288(40), 161(48), 128(19), 82(100) IR(KBr): 2980(OH), 1734(C=O), 1703(C=O), 1637, 1601, 1537(NO 2 ), 1470, 1350(NO 2 ), 1238, 1200 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.50(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO), 5.10(s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 5.83(d,J=7.9Hz,1H,COCH=C), 7.62(dd,J=7.9,7.9Hz,1H,Ar), 7.72(d,J=7.7Hz,1H,Ar), 7.73(d,J=7.9Hz,1H,COC=CH), 8.12(s,1H,Ar), 8.13(d,J=7.9Hz,1H,Ar), 13.20(brs,1H,OH) Elementary analysis (C 13 H 11 N 3 O 6 ): Calculated (C=51.15,H=3.63,N=13.77), Found (C=50.95,H=3.83,N=13.76) (4) Similarly was prepared ethyl 3-(3-chloro-4-nitrobenzyl)-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-1-acetate, ethyl 3-[2-(4-chlorobenzothiazolyl)methyl]-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-1-acetate, ethyl 3-[2-(5-chlorobenzothiazolyl)methyl]-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-1-acetate or ethyl 3-[2-(1-bromonaphtyl)methyl]-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-1-acetate. This was then subjected to an acidic hydrolysis to give 3-(3-chloro-4-nitrobenzyl)-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 17], 3-[2-(4-chlorobenzothiazolyl)methyl]-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 18], 3-[2-(5-chlorobenzothiazolyl)methyl]-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 19] and 3-[2-(1-bromonaphtyl)methyl]-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-1-acetic acid [Compound 20] as white crystals. [Compound 17] Melting point: 184.0-185.0°C MS(EI,70eV) m/z: 341(M + , 37 Cl,8.7), 339(M + , 35 Cl,26), 324(14), 332(38), 195(43), 82(100) IR(KBr): 1735(C=O), 1706(C=O), 1662, 1658, 1553(NO 2 ), 1461, 1349(NO 2 ), 770 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.48(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO 2 ), 5.05(s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 5.82(d,J=8.0Hz,1H,CH=), 7.57(dd,J=8.2,1.6Hz,1H,Ar-H), 7.73(d,J=8.2Hz,1H,Ar-H), 7.74(d,J=8.0Hz,1H,CH=), 7.93(d,J=1.6Hz,1H,Ar-H), 13.20(brs,1H,COOH) Elementary analysis (C 13 H 10 ClN 3 O 6 ): Calculated (C=45.97,H=2.97,N=12.37), Found (C=46.17,H=2.82,N=12.43) [Compound 18] Melting point: 184.0-185.0°C (decomp.) MS(EI,70eV) m/z: 353(M + , 37 Cl,27), 351(M + , 35 Cl,73), 224(73), 196(23), 169(78), 128(69), 82(100) IR(KBr): 3300(OH), 1729, 1705(C=O), 1661(C=O), 1447, 1107 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.53(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO 2 ), 5.43 (s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 5.92(d,J=8.0Hz,1H,CH=), 7.45(dd,J=7.8,7.6Hz,1H,Ar-H), 7.62(d,J=7.8Hz,1H,Ar-H), 7.81(d,J=8.0Hz,1H,CH=), 8.05(d,J=7.6Hz,1H,Ar-H), 13.20(brs,1H,COOH) Elementary analysis (C 14 H 10 ClN 3 O 4 S): Calculated (C=47.80,H=2.86,N=11.95), Found (C=48.21,H=2.79,N=11.88) [Compound 19] Melting point: 208.0-209.0°C MS(EI,70eV) m/z: 353(M + , 37 Cl,34), 351(M + , 35 Cl,75), 224(91), 196(30), 169(100), 128(57), 82(98) IR(KBr): 1716(C=O), 1685(C=O), 1453, 1362 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.53(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO 2 ), 5.41(s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 5.88(d,J=7.8Hz,1H,CH=), 7.49(dd,J=8.6,2.0Hz,1H,Ar-H), 7.79(d,J=7.8Hz,1H,CH=), 8.05(d,J=2.0Hz,1H,Ar-H), 8.10(d,J=8.6Hz,1H,Ar-H) Elementary analysis (C 14 H 10 ClN 3 O 4 S): Calculated (C=47.80,H=2.86,N=11.95), Found (C=47.94,H=3.01,N=11.83) [Compound 20] Melting point: 208.0-209.0°C MS(EI,70eV) m/z: 309(M + -Br ,100), 219(10), 182(55) IR(KBr): 3452(OH), 1739, 1705(C=O), 1658(C=O), 1455, 1199 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.53(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO 2 ), 5.24(s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 5.90(d,J=7.8Hz,1H,CH=), 7.00(d,J=7.8Hz,1H,Ar-H), 7.61(dd,J=8.6,8.6Hz,1H,Ar-H), 7.71(dd,J=8.4,8.4Hz,1H,Ar-H), 7.84(d,J=7.8Hz,1H,CH=), 7.91(d,J=8.4Hz,1H,Ar-H), 7.97(d,J=7.8Hz,1H,Ar-H), 8.24(d,J=8.4Hz,1H,Ar-H), 13.25(brs,1H,COOH) Elementary analysis (C 17 H 13 BrN 2 O 4 1EtOH): Calculated (C=52.46,H=3.48,N=7.11), Found (C=52.75,H=3.84,N=6.77) Example 11. (1) A solution of 100 mL of hexamethyldisilazane containing 5.29 g of uracil and 12.0 mL of chlorotrimethylsilane was heated to reflux for two hours. The transparent reaction solution was concentrated in vacuo , a solution of 14.0 g of 3-nitrobenzyl bromide and 1.11 g of tetrabutylammonium iodide in 100 mL of methylene chloride was added thereto and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for four day. The reaction solution was poured over water and the crystals separated out therefrom were collected by filtration, washed with water and ethyl acetate and dried to give 8.60 g of 3-(3-nitrobenzyl)uracil. (2) The above-prepared product (5.91 g) was dissolved in 100 mL of dimethyl sulfoxide, the solution was added to a suspension of 1.21 g of sodium hydride in 20 mL of dimethyl sulfoxide at 0°C and the mixture was stirred for three hours. A solution of 2.7 mg of ethyl bromoacetate in 20 mL dimethyl sulfoxide was dropped into the reaction mixture, stirred for 2.5 hours and poured over water. The product was purified by a silica gel column and recrystallized from ethanol to give 3.15 g of ethyl 1-(3-nitrobenzyl)-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-3-acetate. (3) The above-prepared product (2.29 g) was subjected to an acidic hydrolysis by the same manner as mentioned in Example 8(3) to give 1.82 g of 1-(3-nitrobenzyl)-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-3-acetic acid [Compound 21]. Melting point: 200.0-201.5°C MS(EI,70eV): 305(M + ,47), 287(26), 203(74), 187(70), 136(94), 90(100) IR(KBr): 2900(OH), 1741(C=O), 1705(C=O), 1637, 1608, 1524(NO 2 ), 1463, 1350(NO 2 ), 920, 771 cm -1 1 H-NMR(DMSO-d 6 ): 4.46(s,2H,N-CH 2 -CO), 5.10(s,2H,CH 2 -Ar), 5.86(d,J=7.9Hz,1H,COCH=C), 7.68(dd,J=8.5,7.5Hz,1H,Ar), 7.78(d,J=7.7Hz,1H,Ar), 8.00(d,J=7.9Hz,1H,COC=CH), 8.18(d,J=8.1Hz,1H,Ar), 8.22(s,1H,Ar), 12.99(brs,1H,OH) Pharmacological action of the compounds of the present invention will be mentioned as follows. (1) Action of inhibiting an aldose reductase. Action of the compounds of the present invention for inhibiting an aldose reductase was investigated using the aldose reductase which was prepared from lenses of rats. Thus, a compound was added to a reaction system comprising a phosphate buffer, NADPH and aldose reductase and, after confirming for several minutes that the absorbencies became stable, glyceraldehyde was added thereto and a decrease in the absorbance at 340 nm with a lapse of time was measured whereby the inhibitory action of the compound to the aldose reductase was determined. Examples of the results are given in Table 1 in which the inhibiting rate to the aldose reductase is the value when the concentration of the compound was 1 x 10 -7 M. Compound No. Inhibiting rate Compound No. Inhibiting rate Compound 2 70% Compound 15 45% Compound 6 38% Compound 16 77% Compound 8 84% Compound 17 58% Compound 9 56% Compound 18 64% Compound 10 48% Compound 19 80% Compound 12 75% Compound 20 31% Compound 13 99% It is clear from the above-mentioned results of the pharmacological tests, the carboxyalkyl heterocyclic derivatives of the present invention exhibit an excellent inhibitory action to aldose reductase with a low toxicity whereby they are very useful as therapeutic agents for diabetic complications. Thus, they are useful as drugs for therapy and prevention of various types of diabetic complications caused by an excessive accumulation of intracellular sorbitol such as diabetic neuropathy, diabetic cataract and retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic dermopathy and other diabetic microangiopathy. In the meanwhile, an inhibitory action of the compounds of the present invention to an aldehyde reductase obtained from rat kidney was measured using the compounds at the concentration of 1 x 10 -4 M but the inhibition was hardly noted. Thus, the compounds of the present invention having a high enzyme selectivity to aldose reductase participating in the production of sorbitol which induces diabetic complications are with low toxicity and high safety and, therefore, they are particularly useful for the therapy of the above-mentioned chronic diseases which require an administration of a drug for long period. The substance of the present invention can be made into pharmaceutical preparations by a combination with a suitable pharmaceutical carriers or diluents. They can be made into various types of preparations by common methods and are able to be made into solid, semisolid, liquid or aerosol formulations for administrations by oral or parenteral means. In preparing the preparations, the substance of the present invention may be used either solely or jointly together with other pharmaceutically-active components. In the case of the preparations for oral administration, the substance of the present invention as it is or together with commonly-used excipients such as a suitable additive (e.g. lactose, mannitol, corn starch, potato starch, etc.) is mixed with binders such as crystalline cellulose, cellulose derivatives, gum arabicum, corn starch, gelatin, etc., disintegrating agents such as corn starch, potato starch, potassium carboxymethylcellulose, etc., lubricating agents such as talc, magnesium stearate, etc. and others including bulking agents, moisturizing agents, buffers, preservatives, perfumes and the like to give tablets, diluted powders, granules or capsules. Alternatively, suppositories may be prepared by mixing with fatty/oily bases (e.g. cacao butter), emulsified bases, water-soluble bases (e.g. Macrogol), hydrophilic bases, etc. In the case of injections, it is possible to prepare the solutions or the suspensions in an aqueous and nonaqueous solvents such as distilled water for injection, physiological saline solution, Ringer's solution, plant oil, synthetic fatty acid glycerides, higher fatty acid esters, propylene glycol, etc. In case of inhalations or aerosol preparations, the compound of the present invention in the form of a liquid or minute powder can be filled up in an aerosol container with gas or liquid spraying agent, and if desired, with conventional adjuvants such as humidifying agents or dispersing agent. They can also be used as pharmaceuticals for a non-pressurized preparation such as in a nebulizer or an atomizer. In order to make the compounds of the present invention into collyriums, they can be prepared as a solution or suspension together with an aqueous solvent such as sterile, purified water and physiologically saline solution, or a non-aqueous solvent for injection, if desired, with preservations, sterilizers, etc. It is also possible, depending upon the type of the disease, to prepare the pharmaceutical preparations which are other than those which were mentioned already and are suitable for the therapy such as, for example, ointments, poultices, etc. The preferred dose of the substance of the present invention may vary depending upon the object to be administered the patient, form of the preparation, method for the administration, term for the administration, etc. and, in order to achieve a desired effect, 10-3,000 mg per day, preferably 20-1,500 mg per day may be usually given to common adults by oral route. In the case of a parenteral administration such as by injection, it is preferred that, due to the influence of the absorption, etc., a level of from 1/3 to 1/10 of the above-given dose by oral route is administered.

Claims: A carboxyalkyl heterocyclic derivative represented by the general formula (A)' or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein two of R a , R b and R c are oxygen and the remaining one is a hydrogen atom (in which case R c is an oxygen atom, and Z represents a bridging moiety containing one unsaturated carbon atom so that either R a or R b represents a single hydrogen atom bonded to the heterocyclic ring), two hydrogen atoms, C 1-3 alkylene, or a hydrogen atom and a hydroxyl group; X is benzyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen, benzothiazolylmethyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen, or naphthylmethyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen; R is a hydrogen atom or C 1-3 alkyl; n is an integer of 1 to 3; and Z indicates a direct bond (in which case the heterocyclic ring is 5-membered) or a bridging moiety containing one carbon atom (in which case the heterocyclic ring is 6-membered); with the proviso that if X is an unsubstituted benyzl group, Z is a direct bond, R a and R c are oxygen, R b represents two hydrogen atoms and n is 1 then R is neither a hydrogen atom nor an ethyl group. A carboxyalkyl heterocyclic derivative represented by the general formula (A), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof for use as a medicament: wherein two of R a , R b and R c are oxygen and the remaining one is a hydrogen atom (in which case R c is an oxygen atom, and Z represents a bridging moiety containing one unsaturaed carbon atom so that either R a or R b represents a single hydrogen atom bonded to the heterocyclic ring), two hydrogen atoms, C 1-3 alkylene, or a hydrogen atom and a hydroxyl group; X is benzyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen, benzothiazolylmethyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen, or naphthylmethyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen; R is a hydrogen atom or C 1-3 alkyl; n is an integer of 1 to 3; and Z indicates a direct bond (in which case the heterocyclic ring is 5-membered) or a bridging moiety containing one carbon atom (in which case the heterocyclic ring is 6-membered). A compound according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein Z represents a direct bond. A compound according to Claim 3, having the general formula (I) wherein two of R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are oxygen and the remaining one represents two hydrogen atoms, C 1-3 alkylene, or a hydrogen atom and a hydroxyl group; X is benzyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen, benzothiazolylmethyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen, or naphthylmethyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen; R is a hydrogen atom or C 1-3 alkyl; and n is an integer of 1 to 3. A compound according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein Z represents a bridging moiety containing one carbon atom. A compound according to Claim 5, having the general formula (II) wherein one of R 4 and R 5 is oxygen and the other is a hydrogen atom (in which case R 4 or R 5 is only singly bonded to the heterocyclic ring); X is benzyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen, benzothiazolylmethyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen, or naphthylmethyl which may be substituted with nitro and/or halogen; R is a hydrogen atom or C 1-3 alkyl; n is 1 to 3; and the two broken lines represent one single bond and one double bond with the single bond being on the same side as the oxygen substituent represented by R 4 or R 5 . A pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one carboxyalkyl heterocyclic derivative according to any of Claims 1-6 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and a pharmacologically acceptable carrier. The use of a carboxyalkyl heterocyclic derivative according to any of Claims 1-6 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of a diabetic complication.

Inventors: KOTANI TAKAYUKI, NAGAKI YASUHIRO, OKAMOTO KAORU, KOTANI, TAKAYUKI, NAGAKI, YASUHIRO, OKAMOTO, KAORU, Kotani, Takayuki, c/o Inst. of Bio-Active Science, Nagaki, Yasuhiro, c/o Inst. of Bio-Active Science, OKAMOTO, KAORU, C/O INST. OF BIO-ACTIVE SCIENCE
Applicants: NIPPON ZOKI PHARMACEUTICAL CO, NIPPON ZOKI PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.
Application year: 1995
Main classification: C07D233
IPC codes: C07D233, C07D239, C07D417