COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR INHIBITING CELL DEATH

Abstract: Compounds, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods of use are described which are effective in inhibiting cell death, particularly apoptotic cell death. The compositions may be used for prevention and treatment of injuries associated with cell death, including ischemia, such as results from stroke or myocardial infarction, trauma, neurodegeneration, and inflammation.

Description: Compositions and Methods for Inhibiting Cell Death Field of the Invention The present invention relates to compounds and methods for inhibiting cell death, such as neuronal or myocardial cell death The compounds and pharmaceutical compositions thereof are particularly effective in inhibiting apoptotic cell death, and thus may be used to protect cells from cell death associated with ischemia, trauma, neurodegeneration, and inflammation References Barres et al , Neuron 791-803 (1988) Barres et al , Cell 70 31-46 (1992) Barres et al , Development JJ8 283-295 (1993a) Batistatou et al , J Cell Biol J22 523-532 (1993) Brewer et al , J Neurosci Res 35 567-576 (1993) Buscig o et al , Nature 378 776-779 (1995) Ghosh et al , Science 263 1618-1623 (1994) Goldberg et al , Nat Genetic B 442-449 (1996) Greenlund et al , Neuron JS4 373-376 (1995) Harmsch, U S Patent No 3,985,763 (1976) Hmton et al , Arch Ophthalmol ±16 203-209 (1998) Kim et al , Science 271 373-376 (1997) Kiπno, T , Brain Res 239 57-69 (1982) Koizumi et al , Jpn J Stroke 8 1-8 (1986) Laquis et al , Brain Res 784 100-104 ( 1998) Lazdms et al , J Exp Med 185 81-90 (1997) Liston et al , Nature 379 349-353 (1996) MacManus et al , Neurosci Lett 164 389-392 (1993) Meyer-Franke et al , Neuron 15 805-819 (1995) Mosmann et al , J Immunol Meth 65 55-63 (1983) Nickells, R W . J Glaucoma 5(5) 345-356 (1996) Pulsinelli et al , Stroke jO 267-272 (1979) Schwartz et al . Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 90 (3) 980-984 (1993) lamnra et al , J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 1 53 (1981) Vermes et al . J Immunol Meth 184 39-51 (1995) Vitale et al , Histochemistrv J00 223-229 (1993) Walton et al . Neuroreport 8( 18) 3871-3875 (1997) Wyllie et al , J Pathol ]42 67-77 ( 1984) Zhao et al , Brain Res 649 253-259 ( 1994) Background of the Invention Apoptosis has been associated with ischemic injury, such as typically occurs in cases of stroke, myocardial infarction, and reperfusion injury (Walton et al , 1997, MacManus et al , 1993) Apoptosis is also associated with immunoreactive and immunodegenerative states and a variety of neurodegenerative disorders Recent studies on the mechanism of retinal ganglion cell death in experimental glaucoma also indicate that the cells die by apoptosis (Nickells, 1996, Garcia- Valenzuela et al , 1995, Laquis et al , 1998) Apoptosis is a programmed cell death, occurring in normally functioning human and animal cells when age or state of cell health and condition dictates It is an active process requiring metabolic activity by the dying cell, and is often characterized by cleavage of the DNA into fragments that give a so called laddering pattern on gels Cells that die by apoptosis do not usually elicit the inflammatory responses that are associated with necrosis, a passive process in which collapse of internal homeostasis leads to cellular dissolution Apoptosis can have particularly devastating consequences when it occurs pathologically in cells that do not normally regenerate, such as neurons Because such cells are not replaced when they die, their loss can lead to debilitating and sometimes fatal dysfunction of the affected organ Various drug strategies have been proposed for treatment of stroke and other neuronal conditions related to ischemia To date, however, these drugs have been either relatively ineffective or effective only at dosage levels where undesired side effects are observed For example, anti-coagulants, such as hepaπn, antivasoconstπction agents, such as flunarazme, excitatory neurotransmitter antagonists, such as MK-801 and AP7, and anti-edemic compounds have shown mixed results, with no clear benefits to outweigh a variety of side effects, including neurotoxicity or increased susceptibility to infection Verapamil and related compounds, which prevent calcium entry into smooth and striated muscles, appear to be effective only at high drug concentrations, where serious cardiotoxicity effects may ensue Increased cerebral edema has been observed as a side effect in treatment with dihydropyπdines, such as nimodipme Benzothiazepines, as exemplified by diltiazem, have shown moderate protective effects, but these drugs also appear to cause undesired side effects, such as hypotension, which may be inimical to treatment Summary of the Invention In one aspect, the invention provides a pharmaceutical composition, useful for inhibiting cell death, which comprises an effective amount of a compound of formula I, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier X X f In formula I, X, X', Z and Z' are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano, carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, amino, alkylamino, nitro, and halogen The linker L is NR 1 , carbonyl, CR 2 R 3 , or a direct bond, where R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 3 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, ammo, lower alkylamino, nitro, halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate The moiety A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an lmidazole, pyrrole, oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR' , O, or S, wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen, and where A B groups on opposing sides of the linker L may be the same or different The groups Y and Y' are independently selected from carbon and nitrogen In selected embodiments, the linker L is CH 2 , CHCH 3 , or carbonyl, and is preferably CH 2 In further embodiments, in which A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an lmidazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, NR 1 is preferably NH, NCH 3 , or NCH 2 C 6 H 5 (N-benzyl) Y and Y' are preferably carbon In further embodiments, X, X', Z and Z' are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, carboxylic acid or ester, amino, nitro, chloro, and fluoro Preferably, at least one of X and X' is amino or nitro, and Z and Z' are independently selected from hydrogen, carboxylic acid, chloro, and fluoro Not included are compositions in which, in Formula I, L is CH : , Y is carbon, A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an lmidazole or pyrrole ring, X, X' and R 1 are hydrogen, and Z and Z' are each selected from hydrogen, nitro, ammo, or halogen However, methods of administering these compositions to inhibit cell death, as described below, are included in the invention Alternatively, the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may comprise an effective amount of a compound of formula II, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier In formula II. L is NR 1 , carbonyl, CR 2 R 3 , or a direct bond, where R' and R- are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 3 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, amino, lower alkylamino, nitro. halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate R 4 is selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 5 is selected from an electron pair, hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkλ l It is understood that when R 5 is not an electron pair, the compound has a positive charge (e g compound SNX-980) L is preferably CR R 3 , where R 2 and R 3 are selected independently from hydrogen and lower alkyl As in formula I, A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an lmidazole, pyrrole, oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR 1 , O, or S, wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen, and Y is carbon or nitrogen The group W represents a two- to four-carbon alkyl chain linking the two depicted nitrogen atoms to form a five- to seven-membered heterocyc c ring Each carbon atom of the alkyl chain is unsubstituted or substituted with one or two lower alkyl groups or a hydroxyl group Preferably, each carbon atom of the alkyl chain is unsubstituted or methyl substituted Z represents one or more substituents on the aryl ring containing Y, independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano, carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, ammo, nitro, and halogen Preferably, Z is selected from hydrogen, methyl, ammo, nitro, chloro, and fluoro In selected embodiments, A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an lmidazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, and Y and Y' are carbon In further embodiments, R 4 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, and benzyl, and R 5 is an electron pair Alternatively . the pharmaceutical compositions may comprise an effective amount of a compound of formula III, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier In formula III. L is NR 1 , carbonyl, CR 2 R 3 , or a direct bond, where R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 3 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, amino. lower alkylamino, nitro, halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate, each R 4 is independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and M is -CR 6 RACR 8 R 9 - or - CR 6 = CR 8 -, where R 6 - R 9 are independently selected from hydrogen and lower alkyl In selected embodiments. L is CH : , CHNH ^ , CHNO : , carbonyl, or a direct bond In further embodiments, R 4 is hydrogen or lower alkyl In one embodiment, M is -CR b =CR 8 -, and R 6 and R 8 are independently hydrogen or methyl In a further embodiment, the pharmaceutical compositions comprise an effective amount of a compound of formula IV, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier In formula IV, as above, A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole, pyrrole, oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR 1 , O, or S, wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen, and Y is carbon or nitrogen Z represents one or more substituents on the aryl ring containing Y, independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano, carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, amino, nitro, and halogen Q is selected from nitro and 2-pyπdyl Preferably, Y is carbon, and A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring In selected embodiments, Z is hydrogen In another aspect, the invention provides a method of inhibiting cell death In accordance with the method, an effective amount of a compound of formula I, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, is administered to a subject in need of such treatment In formula I, as described above, X, X', Z and Z' are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano, carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, amino. alkylamino, nitro, and halogen, L is NR 1 , carbonyl, CR 2 R 3 , or a direct bond, where R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 3 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, amino, lower alkylamino, nitro, halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate. A ; B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole, pyrrole, oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR 1 , O, or S. wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen, and where A -B groups on opposing sides of the linker L may be the same or different, and Y and Y' are independently selected from carbon and nitrogen In selected embodiments, the linker L is CH 2 , CHCH 3 , or carbonyl, and is preferably CH 2 In further embodiments, in which A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, NR 1 is preferably NH, NCH 3 , or NCH 2 C 6 H 5 (N-benzyl) Y and Y' are preferably carbon In further embodiments, X, X', Z and Z' are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, carboxylic acid or ester, amino, nitro, chloro, and fluoro Preferably, at least one of X and X' is amino or nitro, and Z and Z' are independently selected from hydrogen, carboxylic acid, chloro, and fluoro Alternatively, the method of the invention comprises administering an effective amount of a compound of formula II. or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier In formula II, as described above, L is NR' , carbonyl, CR 2 R 3 , or a direct bond, where R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 3 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, amino, lower alkylamino, nitro, halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate R 4 is selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 5 is selected from an electron pair, hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl It is understood that when R 5 is not an electron pair, the compound has a positive charge (e g compound SNX-980) L is preferably CR 2 R 3 , where R 2 and R 3 are selected independently from hydrogen and lower alkyl A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole, pyrrole, oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR 1 , O. or S, wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen, Y is carbon or nitrogen W represents a two- to four-carbon alkyl chain linking the two depicted nitrogen atoms to form a five- to seven-membered heterocychc ring Each carbon atom of the alkyl chain is unsubstituted or substituted with one or two lower alkyl groups or a hydroxyl group Preferably, each carbon atom of the alkyl chain is unsubstituted or methyl substituted Z represents one or more substituents on the aryl ring containing Y, independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano, carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, ammo, nitro, and halogen Selected embodiments of the compounds of formula II which may be employed in the method are described above Alternatively, the method of the invention comprises administering an effective amount of a compound of formula III. or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier In formula III, L is NR' , carbonyl, CR 2 R 3 , or a direct bond, where R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 3 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, ammo, lower alkylamino, nitro, halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate, each R 4 is independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and M is -CR 6 RAcR 8 R 9 - or - CR e =CR 8 -, where R 6 - R 9 are independently selected from hydrogen and alkyl Selected embodiments of the compounds of formula III which may be employed in the method are described above In a further embodiments, the method of the invention comprises administering an effective amount of a compound of formula IV, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier In formula IV. A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole, pyrrole, oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR 1 , O, or S, wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen, Y is carbon or nitrogen, Z represents one or more substituents on the aryl ring containing Y, independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano, carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, amino, nitro, and halogen, and Q is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, nitro, cyano, and 2-pyπdyl Selected embodiments of the compounds of formula IV which may be employed in the method are described above In one embodiment of the present method, the cell death being treated or prevented is apoptotic neuronal cell death, such as that associated with stroke, ischemia, neurodegeneration. trauma, an autoimmune response, or inflammation In another embodiment, the cell death is associated with rm ocardial damage, such as myocardial infarction and the resulting ischemia. hypoxia and subsequent reperfusion in the affected area, or myocardial damage resulting from therapeutic intervention, e g coronary arterial bypass graft (CABG) or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA, "balloon angioplasty) In a further embodiment of the method, the compounds of formulas I-IV are administered in combination with an anti-hypertensive agent, an antibiotic, an immunomodulator. or an anti- lnflammatory agent Also included within the invention are certain methylenebιs(benzιmιdazole) compounds of formula I above, where L is CH 2 , Y and Y' are carbon, and A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an pyrrole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof The compounds are represented by structure la, below, where Z' represents a 4' or 5' substituent on the rightmost-depicted ring, and each of Z and Z' is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, chloro, fluoro, carboxy, and methyl These compounds include the 4-amιno substituted compounds 2-(benzιmιdazol-2'-yl)methyl-4-ammo benzimidazole (designated herein as SNX 912), 2-(5'-chlorobenzιmιdazol-2'-yl)methyl-4-amιno benzimidazole (designated herein as SNX 923), 2-(benzιmιdazol-2'-yl)methyl-4-amιno-5-chloro benzimidazole (designated herein as SNX 947), 2-(4'-fluorobenzιmιdazol-2'-yl)methyl-4-amιno benzimidazole (designated herein as SNX 940), 2-(5'-fluorobenzιmιdazol-2'-yl)methyl-4-amιno benzimidazole (designated herein as SNX 942), 2-(5'-carboxybenzιmιdazol-2'-yl)methyl-4-amιno benzimidazole (designated herein as SNX 977), and 2-(4'-methylbenzιmιdazol-2'-yl)methyl-4-amιno benzimidazole (designated herein as SNX 944) Compounds of formula I also forming part of the invention include the 4-nιtro substituted compounds 2-(benzιmιdazol-2'-yl)methyl-4-nιtro-5-chloro benzimidazole (designated herein as SNX 937) and 2-(4'-nιtro-5'-chlorobenzιmιdazol-2'-yl)methyl-4-nιtro-5-chloro benzimidazole (designated herein as SNX 934), and the keto-lmked compounds 2-(2-mdolylcarbonyl) benzimidazole (designated herein as SNX 1772) and 2,2-carbonylbιsbenzιmιdazole (designated herein as SNX 1719) Also within the invention are selected compounds of formula II above, represented by structure Ila where each of R, R' and R" is selected from hydrogen and methy l, and W represents a two- to four-carbon alkyl chain linking the two attached nitrogen atoms to form a five- to seven-membered heterocychc ring Each carbon atom of the alkyl chain is unsubstituted or substituted with one or two lower alkyl groups or a hydroxyl group Preferably, each carbon atom of the alkyl chain is unsubstituted or methyl substituted These include the compounds 2-(3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-5- hydroxypyπmιdιn-2-yl)methyl benzimidazole (designated herein as SNX-1817), 2-(3,4,5,6- tetrahydropyπmιdιn-2-yl)methyl benzimidazole (designated herein as SNX-1818), 2-(4, 5,6,7- tetrahydro-1.3-dιazepιn-2-yl)methyl benzimidazole (designated herein s SNX-1819), and 1-methyl- 2-[(l-methyl-4 5-dιhydro-ιmιdazol-2-yl)ethylbenzιmιdazole (designated herein as SNX-1771) Also included within the invention is a compound of formula II above, 2-(l ,3-dιmethyl-4,5- dιhydro-lH-ιmιdazol-2-ylmethyl)-lH-benzιmιdazole, designated herein as SNX 980 These and other objects and features of the invention will become more fully apparent when the following detailed description of the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings Brief Description of the Drawings Figures 1A-1C illustrate synthetic methods for preparing compounds of the invention, Figure 2 shows the effect of ICV (lntracerebroventπcular) administration of SNX 912 on ischemic volume and mfarct volume in the MCAO in stroke model (CIV = cortical infarct volume, EV = edema, SPV = subcortιcal penumbra, CPV= cortical penumbra, SIV = subcortιcal infarct volume), Figure 3 shows dose-response data for SNX 912 in the study illustrated in Figure 2, Figure 4 shows the effect of IV (intravenous) administration of SNX 912 on ischemic volume and mfarct volume in the MCAO in vivo stroke model, and Figure 5 shows dose-response data for SNX 912 in the study illustrated in Figure 4 Detailed Description of the Invention I Definitions The terms below have the following meanings unless indicated otherwise "Alkyl' refers to a fully saturated acyclic monovalent radical containing carbon and hydrogen, which may be branched or a straight chain Examples of alkyl groups are methyl. ethyl, n-butyl, n-heptyl, and isopropyl 'Lower alkyl , a subset of this class, refers to alkyl having one to six carbon atoms, and more preferably one to four carbon atoms "Aryl" refers to a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent aromatic radical having a single ring (e g , benzene) or two or more condensed rings (e g , naphthyl) Single ring aryl groups are generally preferred Included are heterocychc aromatic rings having one or more nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur atoms in the ring, such as furyl, pyrrole, pyridyl, and indole Carbocyclic aryl groups are generally preferred By "substituted" is meant that one or more ring hydrogens in the aryl group is replaced with a non-hydrogen group, preferably selected from halogen, methyl, methoxy, hydroxyl, nitro, cyano, amino, methylamino, dimethylamino, carboxylic acid or ester, and sulfonic acid or ester Unsubstituted groups or groups substituted with lower alkyl are generally preferred "Aralkyl" refers to a monovalent alkyl radical substituted with an aryl group, as defined above, e g a benzyl group (-CH 2 C 6 H 5 ) An "aliphatic" compound is an acyclic or cyclic (alicychc), saturated or unsaturated carbon compound, excluding aromatic compounds A "pharmaceutically acceptable salt" of a compound described herein refers to the compound in protonated form with one or more anionic counteπons such as chloride, sulfate, phosphate, acetate, succinate, citrate, lactate, maleate, fumarate, palmitate, cholate, glutamate, glutarate, tartrate, stearate, sahcylate, methanesulfonate, benzenesulfonate, sorbate, picrate, benzoate, cmnamate, and the like Hydrochloπde salts are a preferred group II Cell Death Inhibiting Compositions The invention provides pharmaceutical compositions which are effective as inhibitors of cell death, particularly apoptotic cell death, when administered in cell culture or in vivo The inhibitors include compounds characterized by general formula I where X, X', Z and Z' are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano, carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, amino, alkylamino, nitro, and halogen, L is NR' , carbonyl, CR 2 R 3 , or a direct bond, where R' and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 3 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, amino, lower alkylamino, nitro, halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate, A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole, p> rrole, oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR', O, or S, wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen, and where A B groups on opposing sides of the linker L may be the same or different, and Y and Y' are independently selected from carbon and nitrogen Preferably, the two groups A B in a compound are the same In preferred embodiments, the linker L is selected from CH 2 , CHCH 3 , or carbonyl Additional embodiments include compounds in which A B represents a three atom linkage effective to form an imidazole ring (e g N = C-NR') or a pyrrole ring (C = N-NR'), that is, benzimidazole or indole compounds, with benzimidazole being preferred The amine nitrogen of the benzimidazole or indole is preferably substituted with hydrogen or methyl, that is, NR' is NH or NCH 3 The substituents X, X', Z and Z' are preferably independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, carboxylic acid or ester, amino, nitro, chloro, and fluoro In further preferred embodiments, at least one of X and X' is amino or nitro, with amino being most preferred Z and Z' are most preferably selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, carboxylic acid, chloro, and fluoro The compositions also include compounds having the general formula II where L is NR' , carbonyl, CR 2 R , or a direct bond, where R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R J is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, ammo, lower alkylamino, nitro, halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate, R 4 is selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 5 is selected from an electron pair, hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, A B, as above, represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole, pyrrole, oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR', O, or S, wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen, Y is carbon or nitrogen, W represents a two- to four-carbon alkyl chain linking the two depicted nitrogen atoms to form a five- to seven-membered heterocyclic ring, where each carbon atom of the alkyl chain is unsubstituted or substituted with one or two lower alkyl groups or a hydroxyl group, and is preferably unsubstituted or methyl substituted, and Z represents one or more substituents on the aryl ring containing Y, independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano, carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, amino, nitro, and halogen As above, A B preferably represents a three atom linkage effective to form an imidazole ring (e g N = C-NR') or a pyrrole ring (C = N-NR'), that is, a benzimidazole or indole compound, with benzimidazole being preferred The ring on the right side of the linker in formula II is typically an imidazole or lmidazo ne (or dihydroimidazole), where L is CR 2 R 3 , and R 5 represents an electron pair, hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, or aralkyl Where R 5 is not an electron pair, the attached nitrogen atom has a net positive charge (which is formally distributed over the N- C = N moiety in this ring), see, for example, compound SNX 980 Although not depicted as such in formula II, this ring may also be an lmidazolyidenyl group, that is, where L is one carbon of an exocyc c double bond, and the ring itself is saturated Preferably, the substituents on the linker W are selected from hydrogen and lower alkyl, and most preferably hydrogen and methyl The heterocyclic ring including W may also be fused to a further carbocyclic ring The substιtuent(s) Z are preferably selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, carboxylic acid or ester, amino, nitro, chloro, and fluoro, more preferably from hydrogen, lower alkyl, carboxylic acid, chloro, and fluoro, and is most preferably hydrogen Also provided are compositions including bis-imidazole or bis-imidazohne compounds of general formula III where L is NR' , carbonyl, CR 2 R 3 , or a direct bond, where R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 3 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, amino, lower alkylamino, nitro, halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate, each R 4 is independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and M is -CR 6 RACR 8 R 9 - or -CR 6 =CR 8 -, where R 6 - R 9 are independently selected from hydrogen and alkyl In preferred embodiments, the linker L is selected from CH 2 , CHNH 2 , CHNO : , carbonyl, and a direct bond The amine nitrogens are preferably substituted with hydrogen or lower alkyl (R 4 ), and the linker M is preferably -CR 6 =CR 8 -, such that the rings are imidazole rings, where R 6 and R 8 are preferably hydrogen or methyl A further class of compounds included in the invention is represented by formula IV where A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole, pyrrole oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR 1 , O, or S, wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen, Y is carbon or nitrogen, Z represents one or more substituents on the aryl ring containing Y, independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano, carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, amino, nitro, and halogen, and Q is selected from cyano, nitro and 2-pyπdyl In this group of compounds, Y is preferably carbon, and A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, I e a benzimidazole, and Z is preferably hydrogen It should be understood that the compounds of this invention may exist in other forms depending on solvent, pH, temperature, and other variables known to practitioners skilled in the art For example, equilibrium forms of many of the compounds may include tautomeπc forms The compounds may be chemically modified to enhance specific biological properties, such as biological penetration, solubility, oral availability, stability, metabolism, or excretion The compounds may also be modified to pro-drug forms, such that the active moiety results from the action of metabolic or biochemical processes on the pro-drug III Preparation of Compounds The compounds of formulas I-IV may be synthesized using a variety of routes known to those in the field For preparation of compounds of formula I, syntheses may start with substituted benzenes (where R is carbon) or pyndines (where R is nitrogen) Variously substituted benzenes and pyndines are frequently commercially available, or they may be prepared by known methods, typically employing electrophi c aromatic substitution Symmetrical bis-benzimidazole compounds of formula I where L is -CH 2 - may be synthesized, as shown in Fig 1A, by reacting two equivalents of the correspondingly functionalized ortho-diamino benzene with one equivalent of diethyl malondiimidate Bιs-(4- aza)benzιmιdazole compounds may be similarly prepared using a 2.3-dιamιno pyπdme Compounds where A (or B) is O or S (that is. bis-benzoxazoles or bis-benzothiazoles, respectively) may be prepared by substituting an ortho-amino phenol or thiophenol for the ortho- diaminobenzene (or pyπdine) referred to above See, for example, Harnisch, U S Patent No 3,985,763 Compounds where L is NH or NR' are prepared by a nucleophi c displacement reaction between a 2-amιno- or 2-(alkylamιno)-benzιmιdazole (or benzoxazole or benzothiazole) and a benzimidazole (or benzoxazole or benzothiazole) containing a leaving group at the 2- position, e g a 2-bromobenzιmιdazole Unsymmetπcally substituted compounds may be synthesized, for example, by reacting one equivalent of a functionalized ortho-diamino benzene (or aminophenol, or aminothiophenol) and one equivalent of a differently functionalized ortho-diamino benzene (or aminophenol or aninothiophenol) with one equivalent of diethyl malondiimidate or substituted malondiimidate, as illustrated by Examples 1-8 Such routes may lead to mixtures, however An alternate route, illustrated in Example 9 and Fig 1C for preparation of a bis-benzimidazole, employs a benzιmιdazol-2-yl lmidoate, prepared from the corresponding 2-cyanomethyl benzimidazole (commercially available from Aldπch) This intermediate is reacted with a substituted ortho- diaminobenzene, in this case 3-nιtro-l ,2-phenylenedιamιne, to give the bis-benzimidazole (designated herein as SNX 900) as shown Reduction of the nitro group gave the 4-amιno compound, designated herein as SNX 912 A corresponding 2-cyanomethyl benzoxazole, benzothiazole, 4-aza-benzιmιdazole, or indole may be substituted for the benzimidazole as desired Compounds where the bridging carbon is substituted, e g with methyl, nitro, amino, or oxo (carbonyl), may be prepared using the corresponding substituted malondiimidate, in protected form if necessary For example, Fig IB illustrates the preparation of a nitro-derivatized bis- benzimidazole compound Reaction conditions may vary, the compound shown in Fig IB was prepared by heating at 180 to 210°C in tπchlorobenzene for two to five hours A preferred method for forming compounds in which the bridging group is a carbonyl group is illustrated in Examples 14-15 According to this route, a 2-lιthιated benzimidazole is reacted with a benzιmιdazole-2-carboxylate Either reactant may also be derived from an indole, 2- azabenzimidazole, substituted imidazole, etc Compounds of Group II may be prepared by reactions analogous to that shown m Fig 1C and described above, by substituting the phenylene diamine with the appropriate aliphatic or a cyclic 1 ,2-dιamιne For example, compound 978 (see Table 3, below) may be prepared by reaction of 2-cyanomethyl benzimidazole with 1 ,2-ethylenedιamιne Preparation of other compounds of this group is described in Examples 10-13 The bis-imidazole or bis-imidazohne compounds of Group III may be prepared by methods analogous to those described for preparation of bis-benzimidazoles. above, I e by reaction of a substituted or unsubstituted diethyl malondiimidate with two equivalents of an aliphatic 1,2- diamine For compounds having a direct bond linker, such as compound 939, below (Table 4), diethyl ethanednmidate is used in place of the malondiimidate Syntheses of keto-, nitromethylene-, aminomethylene-. and hydroxymethylene- nked bis-imidazoles (e g compounds 949-951 , below) by a different route have been reported by Joseph et al (Synthesis 1 459, 1977) Compounds of Group IV may be prepared according to reported methods, again typically based on cyclocondensation reactions of ortho-functionalized anilines See, for example, Alcalde et al 4 195, 1992), Addison et al (J Heterocyc Chem 20(6) 1481 , 1983 , Loew et al (U S Patent No 4.064, 136) For example, compound 953, 2-nιtromethyl benzimidazole, may be prepared by reaction of 1 ,2-phenylenedιamιne with ethyl 2-nιtro acetate, compound 914, 2- cyanomethyl benzimidazole, may be prepared by similar reaction with ethyl malonitπle (ethyl 2- cyanoacetate) IV Mechanisms of Cell Death A Distinction between Apoptosis and Necrosis Two distinct patterns of pathologic cell death have been described in the literature The first pattern is consistent with necrosis, a passive process in which collapse of internal homeostasis leads to cellular dissolution (Wyllie et al , 1980a) The process involves loss of integrity of the plasma membrane and subsequent swelling, followed by lysis of the cell (Schwartz et al , 1993) This pattern manifests an early loss of membrane integrity, abnormal organellar morphology, cellular swelling, occurrence in foci, and lysosomal rupture The second pattern, consistent with apoptosis, occurs in scattered cells rather than in foci, and features chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation, decrease in cellular volume, plasma membrane blebbmg, morphological preservation of organellar structure and membrane integrity, budding off of cellular fragments, and retained lysosomal contents (Wyllie et al , 1984) The observation of apoptosis is characterized by condensation of the cytoplasm and nucleus of dying cells Ultrastructurally, the chromatin becomes electron dense, begins to accumulate at the inner surface of the nuclear envelope, and eventually fills the entire nucleus The cell breaks up into smaller membrane bound fragments, which may contain individual organelles and remnants of the nucleus, which are rapidly phagocytosed by surrounding cells As a result, apoptosis is not associated with a classical inflammatory response typical of other forms of cell death, such as necrosis Cell death in some tissues can exhibit features characteristic of both apoptosis and necrosis In these cases, the rate of apoptosis may greatly exceed the rate of phagocytosis, such that the debris of apoptotic cells accumulates and breaks down by a process called secondary necrosis B Neuronal Apoptosis Apoptosis has been associated with ischemic injury, such as typically occurs in cases of myocardial infarction, reperfusion injury and stroke (Walton et al . 1997, MacManus et al 1993) Apoptosis is also associated with lmmunoreactive and lmmunodegenerative states and a variety of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, ALS and motor neuron degeneration, Parkinson's disease, peripheral neuropathy. Down ' s syndrome, age related macular degeneration (ARMD), Huntington ' s disease, spinal muscular atrophy, and HIV encephalitis Apoptosis has also been implicated as the primary mode of cell death in models of increased intraocular pressure (IOP) in rats and in other experimental procedures that cause retinal ganglion cell loss, including optic nerve transection in monkeys, rabbits, and rats Recent studies on the mechanism of retinal ganglion cell death in experimental glaucoma indicate that the cells die by apoptosis (Nickells, 1996, Laquis et al , 1998) Apoptosis can have particularly devastating consequences when it occurs pathologically in cells that do not normally regenerate, such as neurons Because such cells are not replaced when they die. their loss can lead to debilitating and sometimes fatal dysfunction of the affected organ V In Vitro Model of Apoptosis Oxygen/Glucose Deprived Retinal Ganglion Cells Assays for apoptotic and/or necrotic death of retinal ganglion cells are useful for selecting compounds that are efficacious in the treatment of disease conditions associated with ischemia, e g stroke, glaucoma and other neurodegenerative diseases An RGC culture system, described in a copendmg and co-owned US provisional application having US Serial Number 60/100.241 , has been established as a general in vitro model for ischemia, as a model system for specialized forms of ischemia, such as that which manifests in cerebral ischemia and in glaucoma, and for neurodegenerative diseases in general In the in vitro model for ischemia, cell death is induced by growth factor deprivation and/or oxygen/glucose deprivation (OGD) A Obtaining and cultunng retinal ganglion cells Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are central nervous system neurons that extend their axons from the retina through the optic nerve to either the geniculate nucleus or (as in the rat) directly to the superior colhculus or optic tectum RGCs relay visual signals from the retina to the rest of the brain These glutamatergic neurons can be purified to almost 100% purity from either the rat or mouse retina using monoclonal antibodies against the surface protein Thy 1 by an lmmunopanning method, as described in Example 16 RGCs can be kept in culture for a period of four weeks or longer B Methods of Detecting Cell Death in RGCs Necrotic cell death, as described above, is characterized by loss of cell membrane integrity and permeability to dyes such as propidium iodide (PI), which binds to the DNA of cells undergoing primary and secondary necrosis (Vitale et al , 1993) Necrosis is distinguishable from apoptosis in that cell membranes remain intact in the early stages of apoptosis A PI dye exclusion assay used in parallel with an assay for apoptosis, as described below, can thus distinguish apoptotic from necrotic cell death Detection of programmed cell death, or apoptosis. may be accomplished via staining with annexin V-FITC. a technique known in the art One of the earliest events in programmed cell death is the translocation of phosphatidvlseπne, a membrane phospholipid, from the inner side of the plasma membrane to the outer side Annexin V, a calcium-dependent phospholipid binding protein having a high affinity for membrane bound phosphatidylsenne, can thus be used to stain cells undergoing apoptosis, with detection and quantitation of apoptotic cells by flow cytometry or any other method of fluorescent detection (Vermes et al , 1995. Walton et al , 1997) C Quantitation of Cell Survival Necrotic cell death, as described above, is characterized by loss of cell membrane integrity and permeability to dyes such as propidium iodide (PI), which binds to the DNA of cells undergoing primary and secondary necrosis (Vitale et al , 1993) Necrosis is distinguishable from apoptosis in that cell membranes remain intact in the early stages of apoptosis A PI dye exclusion assay used in parallel with an assay for apoptosis, as described below, can thus distinguish apoptotic from necrotic cell death Detection of programmed cell death, or apoptosis, may be accomplished via staining with annexin V-FITC, a technique known in the art One of the earliest events in programmed cell death is the translocation of phosphatidylsenne, a membrane phospholipid, from the inner side of the plasma membrane to the outer side Annexin V, a calcium-dependent phospholipid binding protein having a high affinity for membrane bound phosphatidylsenne, can thus be used to stain cells undergoing apoptosis, with detection and quantitation of apoptotic cells by flow cytometry or any other method of fluorescent detection (Vermes et al , 1995, Walton et al , 1997) VI In Vι\o Models of Ischemia Preferred compositions of the invention are those determined to be efficacious in increasing cell survival in in vitro oxygen/glucose-deprived RGCs, as described in Section V above, by at least 25 % , preferably 40% , more preferably 75 % , and most preferably 100% or more, relative to untreated control RGCs Such compositions are further tested in established animal models for ischemia Various in vivo models have been described that mimic the symptoms of ischemia These include the gerbil model of global ischemia, produced by transient occlusion of carotid arteries of the gerbil neck (Kiπno. 1982). the rat four-vessel occlusion model for global ischemia (Pulsmelli et al , 1979), and the rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model of focal ischemia (Tamura et al , 1981) Animal stroke models using focal cerebral infarction have been established in cats, dogs, primates, gerbils and rats, and are believed to be directly relevant to clinical experience The most commonly used focal ischemia model in the rat is the right middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model developed by Koizumi and co-workers (Koizumi et al . 1986), described in Example 18 below Briefly, the middle cerebral artery is occluded with nylon filament by insertion from the external carotid artery The MCAO model requires no craniectomy and allows easy reperfusion The neuroprotective effect of the subject compounds in this model is described in Section VIIB below VII Biological Activity of Subiect Compounds A Effect of Compounds on Oxygen/Glucose Deprived RGCs The extent of protection of RGCs by test compounds was determined as described in Section V above and in Examples 16-17 Each compound was added to control cells and to cells deprived of oxygen and glucose for the time period from 30 minutes prior to OGD, during OGD. and for 24 and 48 hours after OGD Table 6 gives the value of EC 50 (concentration at which 50% of cells are protected from cell death relative to control) for series of representative compounds in accordance with strucmres I-IV In Table 5, derivatives of 2,2'-methylenebιsbenzιmιdazole (l e formula I where L is -CH 2 - and Y and Y' are carbon), represented by an asterisk, are named by the substitution on the benzene rings of the benzimidazoles Strucmres of additional selected compounds, of structural formulas I through IV, respectively, are shown in Tables 1-4 Table 4. As can be seen from the data in Table 5, below, the compounds protected neurons from apoptotic cell death, compared to untreated control OGD cells, some at very low concentrations Table 6. below, shows dose-dependent data (increase in survival compared to OGD control, in a similar assay) for selected bis-benzimidazole compounds of formula I Symbols in the Table are interpreted as follows + up to 50% increase + + 50% - 100% increase + + + > 100% increase negligible or no increase nd not determined Table 6. Increase in Survival of OGD Cells Treated with Subject Compounds Table 6 continued As shown in Tables 5 and 6, bis-benzimidazole compounds (Structure I) having substituents at one or both 4 positions, e g ammo, nitro, methyl, trifluoromethyl, fluoro, or hydroxyl (SNX 900, 901 , 903, 904, 909, 912, 923, 929, and 930) were more effective overall than the unsubstituted compound, although for the methyl- and tπfluoromethyl-substituted compounds, there were signs of toxic effects at higher doses (I e 10 μM) Compounds with 4-amιno substitution were particularly effective Compounds with methyl substitution on the ring nitrogens (SNX 904) or at the bridging carbon (SNX 925) as well as compounds having pyndine rings (SNX 911) were also very effective Bis-benzimidazole compounds having only 5 or 5,5' substitution (e g the last four entries in Table 6) were generally less effective than the 4-substιtuted counterparts Compounds of Structures II-IV. i e various substituted bis-imidazoles (e g SNX 949, 951 , 939) and benzimidazole-dihydroimidazole, -tetrahydropyπmidine, and -tetrahydro-1 ,3- diazepine compounds (e g SNX 978, 979. 980, 1019, 1020, 1771. 1818, and 1819) were also very effective, some giving EC S0 's in the sub-nanomolar range (Table 5) B Effect of Subiect Compounds on Infarct Volume in in vivo Stroke Model Compounds were administered by either an IV (intravenous) or ICV (lntracerebroventπcular) route in the MCAO model, described above and in Example 18 The extent of ischemic damage in the absence and presence of compound was assessed by visualization of coronal brain slices Conversion of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) to formazan in normal tissue produces a red color Unstained areas (white) constitute the infarct whereas pink areas between white (infarction) and red stained areas (normal brain) define the ischemia penumbra Preliminary studies confirmed that tissues stained pink contained mixed populations of living and dead cells Table 3 shows the decrease in infarct and edema volumes (l e , % protection) in subjects which received test compound SNX 912 (4-amιno compound) in the dosages shown, ICV pre- MCAO, or IV immediately following reperfusion, after two hours MCAO, as compared to control subjects which received deionized water Results are also illustrated in Figs 2-3 for ICV administration and Figs 4-5 for IV administration As the data show, significant protection was afforded with respect to ischemic volume and infarct volume ICV administration, a more efficient route of delivery, generally gave greater protection at a smaller dose Table 7. Effect of SNX 912 (2,2'-methylenebis(4-amino)benzimidazole) in Reducing Ischemic Damage in the Brain C Effect of Compounds on Oxygen/Glucose Deprived Cardiac Mvocvtes The hypoxic cardiac myocyte (CM) has been used as a simplified model of myocardial ischemia In the present study, cultures of CM's were deprived of oxygen and glucose for 8 hours, then also exposed to 24-48 hours reoxygenation It is known that reperfusion of the damaged areas can be one of the major mechanisms of myocardial cellular injury The OGD cells, as well as non-OGD control cells, were treated with SNX 912 for the time period from 30 minutes prior to OGD. during OGD. and for 24 and 48 hours after OGD Cell survival was ~>"> quantitated as described above Administration of SNX 912 protected the cardiac myocytes from apoptotic cell death, compared to untreated OGD cells, in a dose dependent manner EC 50 and TI (therapeutic index) for SNX 912 in the tests were as follows For 8 hrs OGD/24 hrs reoxygenation. EC 50 = 310 nM and TI > 30, for 8 hours OGD and 48 hrs reoxygenation. EC, 0 = 55 nM and TI > 200 Table 8. Effect of SNX 912 (4-amino bisbenzimidazolylmethane) in Reducing Ischemic Damage in Cardiac Cells Hours OGD Hours reoxygenation EC 50 TI 24 310 nM > 30 48 55 nM > 200 VII Methods of Treatment In accordance with the invention, cell death is inhibited by administering, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, a compound represented by any of formulas I through IV, discussed above or pharmaceutically acceptable salts Preferred compounds are also discussed above, and particularly include those giving EC 50 values, for the assay represented in Table 1 , of about 500 nm or less, preferably about 100 nm or less, and more preferably about 50 nm or less The compositions may be used for the treatment of diseases that involve apoptotic cell death or other forms of interventional cell death The method of treatment, dosage level, paradigm of administration, etc , may be selected from conventional methods and techniques For example, a compound of this invention may be administered with a pharmaceutically acceptable adjuvant to a patient suffering from a disease or disorder resulting from sudden and/or pathological cell death The compound is administered, in combination with an acceptable adjuvant or carrier, in an amount effective to lessen the severity of the disease as a result of decreasing the biological cell death The compounds of formulas I-IV may be used alone or in combination, and they may be combined with other classes of cell death-inhibiting compounds, to increase the effect of therapy, or as a prophylaxis to decrease the progression of a cell death-induced disease The compounds of this invention may also be used in combination with other therapeutic agents, including anti- hypertensive agents, antibiotics, immunomodulators or anti-inflammatory agents In combination therapy, the compounds may be administered either sequentially or concurrently Pharmaceutical compositions of this invention comprise any of the compounds of formulas I- IV and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, together with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, adjuvants or vehicles The pharmaceutical compositions may be administered orally, parenterally (which includes subcutaneous, intravenous, intramuscular, mtra-articular. intracutaneous, mtrasynovial. intrasternal. intrathecal. epidural, intralesional, lntracerebroventπcular. or lntracramal), by inhalation spray, topically, rectally, nasally, buccally, vaginally, or via an implanted reservoir Injectable preparations include a sterile mjectable aqueous or oil composition or a suspension For treatment or prevention of damage resulting from therapeutic intervention in cardiac cells, e g during arterial graft or angioplasty, the compounds may be administered locally, e g by catheter or stent, to the affected artery As shown above, dosages of 5 mg/kg SNX 912 were effective in reducing post-ischemic damage in rats via ICV administration, and a higher dose (25 mg/kg) was effective via IV administration, a more convenient but less efficient route Nanomolar concentrations of the compound were effective in protection of cardiac cells in vitro Appropriate dosages of other compounds of the invention may be higher or lower, depending on the potency of the particular compound Relative potencies of a variety of compounds are given above, and others may be determined in assays as described herein As always, optimum dosages in human therapy will vary according to factors such as the route of administration, the age of the patient, other existing medical conditions, and the type and seventy of symptoms, and may be determined according to standard methods known to skilled practitioners VIII Indications Cell death-mediated conditions which may be treated or prevented by the compositions of the invention include ischemic injury, such as stroke or myocardial infarction, ischemic diseases, inflammatory diseases, trauma, including myocardial damage, autoimmune diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases Ischemic damage to the central nervous system (CNS) may result from either global or focal ischemic conditions Global ischemia occurs under conditions in which blood flow to the entire brain ceases for a period of time, such as may result from cardiac arrest Focal ischemia occurs under conditions in which a portion of the brain is deprived of its normal blood supply, such as may result from thromboembolytic occlusion of a cerebral vessel, traumatic head injury, edema, and brain tumors Ischemic diseases include cerebral ischemia, such as results from stroke, myocardial infarction, retinal ischemia, macular degeneration, and glaucoma Various neurodegenerative diseases which may involve apoptotic cell death include Alzheimer's disease (Kim et al , 1997), ALS and motor neuron degeneration (Greenlund et al , 1995) Parkinson's disease (Ghosh et al , 1994), peripheral neuropathies (Batistatou et al . 1993). Down s syndrome (Buscigho et al . 1995), age related macular degeneration (ARMD) (Hinton et al , 1998), Huntington's disease (Goldberg et al , 1996), spmal muscular atrophy (Liston et al , 1996), and HIV encephalitis (Lazdins et al , 1997) Although the invention has been described with respect to particular treatment methods and composition, it will be apparent to those skilled that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the invention EXAMPLES The following examples illustrate but are not intended in any way to limit the invention Example 1 Preparation of 2-r(5-chloro-l H-benzιmιdazol-2-yl)methvn-4-nιtro-lH-benzιmιdazole To a flame-dried 100 mL round-bottom flask equipped with a stir bar and a reflux condenser were added 4-chloro-l ,2-phenylenedιamιne (lg, 7 0 mmoles), 3-nιtro-l ,2-phenylenedιamιne (1 07 g, 7 0 mmoles), diethyl malonimidate dihydrochloπde (1 62 g, 7 0 mmoles) and ultra pure acetic acid (ca 35 mL, from Aldπch) under a nitrogen atmosphere The mixture was refluxed for 2 hours and then cooled to room temperature, and the acetic acid was removed (via roto-vap) The residue was suspended and sonicated (ca 5 minutes) in 0 5 M HC1, and the remaining precipitate was removed by filtration and dried (P 2 0 5 and high-vacuum) This procedure gave 0 8 g of the desired 2-[(5-chloro-lH-benzιmιdazol-2-yl)methyl]-4-nιtro-lH-benzιmιdazole as a dark brown solid in 35 % yield It gave one major peak by HPLC and had mass spec (FB + ) m/z = 328 0 [M+] General Procedure 1 (Cyclocondensation) To a 100 mL round bottom flask (RBF) equipped with a reflux condenser and a stir bar under a blanket of nitrogen were added 3-nιtro-l,2- phenylenediamme (0 50 g, 3 26 mmoles), 4-chloro-l,2-phenylenedιamιne (0 46 g, 3 26 mmoles), diethyl malonimidate dihydrochloπde (1 1 eq , 0 83 g, 3 60 mmoles) and acetic acid (25 mL) The reaction was maintained at reflux for two hours and then cooled to room temperature The solvent was removed on a rotovapor, and the remaining solid was suspended in dilute HC1 (ca 75 mL) The pH was brought to " 6 using 5M NaOH, and the precipitate was collected and air-dned at room temperature for several hours General Procedure 2 (Reduction) The crude mixture of three compounds was added to a 250 mL RBF and dissolved in methanol (ca 35 mL) Degussa's catalyst (50 mg) was added, the flask was sealed with a rubber septum, and hydrogen gas was flushed through the flask for 10 minutes The reaction mixture was maintained under a hydrogen atmosphere overnight (via a balloon) and then filtered with the aid of Cehte * The methanol was removed and the crude solid was taken up in 10 mL of dilute HCl, purified by preparative HPLC (5 % acetonitπle with 0 1 % TFA for 5 mmutes then 5 % to 95 % over 45 minutes) and converted to the HCl salt by three freeze drying cycles with dilute HCl his procedure gave 0 110 g of pure 2-[(5-chloro-l//-benzιmιdazol-2- yl)methyl]-l//-benzimidazol-4-amine dihydrochlonde in 10% yield It had MS m/z = 297 1 [M + 1 ] amu and gave one peak on HPLC at both 210 and 280 nm (14 32 minutes using the JWTFACN gradient) Example 3 • Preparation of 5-chloro-2-r(5-chloro-4-nιtro- 1 H-benzιmιdazol-2-yl)methyll-4-nιtro- lH-benzimidazole (SNX 934) The following components were reacted according to General Procedure 1 , above 4-chloro- 3-nιtro-1.2-benzenedιamιne (1.0 g; 5.33 mmoles), diethyl malonimidate dihydrochlonde (1.1 eq.; 0.95 g, 2.93 mmoles) and acetic acid (35 mL). The resulting solid was dissolved in dilute HCl (with heat) and freeze-dried to give 1.56 grams of 5-chloro-2-[(5-chloro-4-nιtro-lH-benzιmιdazol- 2-yl)methyl]-4-nιtro-lH-benzιmidazole in 61 % yield. It had MS: m/z = 406.0 [M + l ] amu and gave one peak on HPLC at both 210 and 280 nm (26.99 minutes using the JWTFACN gradient) Example 4 Preparation of 2-f(4-amιno-5-chloro-l/7-benzιmιdazol-2-yl)methyll-5-chloro-l/ - benzιmιdazol-4-amιne (SNX 935) SNX 934 (5-chloro-2-[(5-chloro-4-nιtro-lH-benzιmιdazol-2-yl)methyl]-4-nιtro-lH- benzimidazole, 125 mg, 3 1 mmoles) was reduced according to General Procedure 2, above The crude solid product was taken up in 10 mL of dilute HCl, purified by preparative HPLC (25 % acetonιtπle/0 1 % TFA to 75 % acetonitπle over 50 minutes) and converted to the HCl salt by three freeze drying cycles with dilute HCl This procedure gave 89 mg of 2-[(4-amιno-5-chloro-l//- benzιmιdazol-2-yl)methyl]-5-chloro-l/ -benzιmιdazol-4-amιne dihydrochlonde in 68% yield It had MS m/z = 346 1 [M ÷ l ] amu and gave one peak on HPLC at both 210 and 280 nm ( 17 88 minutes using the JWTFACN gradient) Example 5 Preparation of 2-f(4-fluoro-I /-benzιmιdazol-2-yl)methvn-l/ -benzιmιdazol-4- ylamine (SNX 940) H H H H The following components were reacted according to General Procedure 1 , above 3-nιtro- 1 ,2-phenylenedιamιne (0 50 g, 3 26 mmoles), 3-fluoro-l ,2-phenylenedιamιne (0 41 g, 3 26 mmoles), diethyl malonimidate dihydrochlonde (1 1 eq , 0 83 g, 3 60 mmoles) and acetic acid (25 mL) The crude mixture of three compounds was then reduced according to General Procedure 2, above The crude solid product was taken up in 10 mL of dilute HCl, purified by preparative HPLC (25 to 75 % acetonitπle (with 0 1 % TFA) over 50 minutes) and converted to the HCl salt by three freeze drying cycles with dilute HCl This procedure gave 0 208 g of pure 2-[(4-fluoro- l#-benzιmιdazol-2-yl)methyl]-l//-benzιmιdazol-4-ylamιne dihydrochlonde in 18% yield It had MS m/z = 282 2 [M + l ] amu and gave one peak on HPLC at both 210 and 280 nm (12 99 minutes using the JWTFACN gradient) Example 6 Preparation of 2-r(4-methyl-l/y-benzιmιdazol-2-yl)methyl1-l//-benzιmιdazol-4- ylamine (SNX 944) The following components were reacted according to General Procedure 1 , above 3-nιtro- 1 ,2-phenylenedιamιne (0 5 g, 3 26 mmoles), 3-methyl-l ,2-phenylenedιamιne (0 4 g, 3 26 mmoles), diethyl malonimidate dihydrochlonde ( 1 1 eq , 0 83 g, 3 60 mmoles) and acetic acid (25 mL) The crude mixture of three compounds was then reduced according to General Procedure 2, above The crude solid product was taken up in 10 mL of dilute HCl, purified by preparative HPLC (15 to 75 % acetonitπle (with 0 1 % TFA) over 60 minutes) and converted to the HCl salt by three freeze drying cycles with dilute HCl This procedure gave 0 42 g of pure 2-[(4-methyl- l- -benzιmιdazoI-2-yl)methyl]-lH-benzιmιdazol-4-ylamιne dihydrochlonde in 37% yield It had MS m/z = 278 2 [M + i ] amu and gave one peak on HPLC at both 210 and 280 nm (12 01 minutes using the JWTFACN gradient) carboxylic acid (SNX 977) H H H H The following components were reacted according to General Procedure 1 , above 3-nιtro- 1 ,2-phenylenedιamιne (0 50 g, 3 26 mmoles) 3,4-dιamιnobenzoιc acid (0 40 g, 3 26 mmoles), diethyl malonimidate dihydrochlonde (1 1 eq , 0 83 g, 3 60 mmoles) and acetic acid (25 mL) The crude mixture of three compounds was then reduced according to General Procedure 2, above The crude solid product was taken up in 10 mL of dilute HCl, purified by preparative HPLC (2 to 40% acetomtπle (with 0 1 % TFA) over 60 minutes) and converted to the HCl salt by three freeze drying cycles with dilute HCl This procedure gave 0 213 g of pure 2-[(4-amιno-l//- benzιmιdazol-2-yl)methyl]-l /-benzιmιdazole-5-carboxyhc acid dihydrochlonde in 17% yield It had MS m/z = 308 2 [M + 1 ] amu and gave one peak on HPLC at both 210 and 280 nm (10 20 minutes using the JWTFACN gradient) Example 8 Preparation of 2-r(4-amιno- 1 f/-benzιmιdazol-2-yl)methvπ- 1 //-benzιmιdazole-4- carboxyhc acid (SNX 1799) The following components were reacted according to General Procedure 1 , above 3-nιtro- 1,2-phenylenedιamιne (0 50 g, 3 26 mmoles) 2,3-dιamιnobenzoιc acid (0 40 g, 3 26 mmoles), diethyl malonimidate dihydrochlonde (1 1 eq , 0 83 g, 3 60 mmoles) and acetic acid (25 mL) The crude mixture of three compounds was then reduced according to General Procedure 2, above The crude solid was taken up m 10 mL of dilute HCl, purified by preparative HPLC (2 to 40% acetonitπle (with 0 1 % TFA) over 60 minutes) and converted to the HCl salt by three freeze drying cycles with dilute HCl This procedure gave 0 103 g of pure 2-[(4-amιno-l#-benzιmιdazol- 2-yl)methyl]-l/ -benzιmιdazole-4-carboxylιc acid dihydrochlonde in 8% yield It had MS m/z - 308 2 [M + 1 ] amu and gave one peak on HPLC at both 210 and 280 nm (10 20 minutes using the JWTFACN gradient) Example 9 Preparation of 2.2'-methylenebιs(4-nιtro)benzιmιdazole (SNX 900) and 2.2'- rnethylenebιs(4-amιno)benzιmιdazole (SNX 912) A flame-dried 3 L 3-neck round-bottom flask was equipped with a stir bar, thermometer and 2-benzιmιdazolylacetonιtπle (35 9 g, 228 mmoles) and then stoppered The flask was opened to an oil bubbler to allow for a gentle stream of dry nitrogen Anhydrous toluene (750 mL) was then added by cannula, followed by the addition of anhydrous denatured ethanol (33 mL, 2 4 equiv ) by syringe The suspension was chilled at a temperature of 0°C, the nitrogen stream was stopped, and HCl gas was bubbled in HCl was added at such a rate that the temperature of the solution did not exceed 15 °C, until saturated, whereupon the ice bath was removed The reaction was allowed to stir at room temperature overnight Anhydrous diethyl ether (3 L) was added, and the mixture was chilled on an ice bath The solid was collected by filtration under nitrogen into a Schlenk tube and dried under high vacuum The product, ethyl 2-(lH-benzιmιdazol-2-yl) ethammidoate (see Fig IC), was used in the next step without further analysis or purification Using Airless- Ware ® , the ethyl 2-(lH-benzιmιdazol-2-yl)ethanιmιdoate was transferred, under a nitrogen atmosphere, to a flame-dried 2-neck 3L round-bottom flask equipped with a stir bar and a refluxing condenser, with a drying tube at one neck and a rubber septum at the other neck Anhydrous ethanol (ca 500 mL) was added via cannula with stirring To a separate flame- dried IL round-bottom flask were added 3-nιtro-l,2-phenylenedιamιne (35 g, 228 mmoles) and anhydrous ethanol (ca 500 mL) under a nitrogen atmosphere The flask was heated until the nitro compound dissolved and the contents, while still hot, were added quickly to the stirred solution of ethyl 2-(lH-benzιmιdazol-2-yl)ethanιmιdoate via cannula The contents were quickly brought to reflux and refluxed overnight with stirring The solvent was removed (roto-vap) and the solid residue was suspended in IN HCl (ca 1 L) and heated until dissolved The hot solution was filtered and allowed to cool to room temperature whereupon 2-(lH-benzιmιdazol-2-ylmethyl)-4- nitro-lH-benzimidazole was crystallized as the dihydrochlonde salt The solid was removed by filtration and dried under high-vacuum This procedure gave 57 grams (69%) of pure 2-(lH- benzιmιdazol-2-ylmethyl)-4-nιtro-lH-benzιmιdazole dihydrochlonde as a gray solid It gave one peak by HPLC and had mass spec (FB + ) m/z = 294 [M + ] Reduction of the nitro group gave the 4-ammo compound, designated herein as SNX 912 MS [M + 1] 264 Example 10 Preparation of 2-(6-ethyl-1.4.5,6-tetrahvdro-pyrιmιdιne-2-ylmethyl)-l - benzimidazole dihydrochlonde (SNX 1021) General Procedure 3 (Cyclocondensation): The intermediate ethyl 2-(lH-benzimidazol-2- yl)ethanimidoate (5-10 mmol), prepared as described in Example 9, was transferred from a storage Schlenk tube to a pre-tared, oven-dried two necked round bottom flask equipped with a stir bar, under a gentle stream of argon, without exposing the solid to air. The two necked flask and contents were removed from the empty Schlenk tube and stoppered under argon, and the weight of the solid was obtained by difference. One stopper was then replaced with an oven-dried water jacketed condenser fitted with a drying tube containing Drierite. Ethyl alcohol (anhydrous) was cannulated into the flask under argon pressure, and the resulting suspension was stirred and placed over a heating mantle. Before the contents reached reflux, 1.1 eq. of 1 ,3-diamino-pentane was added slowly to the suspension via syringe. The heat was adjusted to the lowest possible setting for reflux to continue. After 12 hours, the resulting solution was concentrated by rotary evaporation, and the residue was dissolved in water, filtered and preparatively fractionated by reverse-phase HPLC. The fractions containing the desired product (with the expected molecular weight) were pooled and concentrated to dryness. The resulting solid was dissolved 15 mL of 0.5M HCl and concentrated; this procedure was repeated twice. The white solid obtained gave the following analytical data: 'H NMR: 0.938ppm (t, 3H); 1.526 (quintet, 1H), 1.694 (quintet, 2H); 2.046 (quintet, 1H); 3.421 (t, 2H); 3.518 (quintet, 1H); 4.594ppm (d, 2H); 7.488ppm (q, 2H); 7.785ppm (q, 2H). Mass Spectrum: [M+ l] + = 243.2. Example 11 : Preparation of 2-(5.5-dimethyl-4.5-dihvdro-l//-imidazol-2-ylmethyl)-l/ - benzimidazole dihvdrochloride (SNX 1020) General Procedure 3 was repeated, using l ,2-diamino-2-methyl propane in place of 1 ,3- diamino-pentane. The white solid obtained gave the following analytical data: 'H NMR: 1.388ppm (s, 6H); 3.657ppm (s, 2H); 4.620ppm (s,2H); 7.484ppm (q, 2H); 7.784 (q, 2H). Mass spectrum: [M + l] + = 229.1. Example 12: Preparation of (4-nitro-5-chloro-benzimidazol-2yl-benzimidazole) methane dihvdrochloride (SNX 937) General Procedure 3 was repeated, using l ,2-diamino-2-methyl propane in place of 1 ,3- diamino-pentane. The crude product, a dark brown solid, was dissolved 15 mL of 0.5M HCl and concentrated; this procedure was repeated twice. The solid obtained gave the following analytical data: 'H NMR: 5.029ppm (s, 2H): 7.465ppm (d. 1H); 7.50ppm (dd, 2H); 7.75ppm (dd. 2H); 7.885ppm (d, 1H). Mass spectrum: [M + l] + = 329. Example 13: Preparation of 2-(l ,3-Dimethyl-4.5-dihydro-l/ -imidazol-2-ylmethyl)- l - benzimidazole hydrogen dichloride: (SNX 980) α- General Procedure 3 was repeated, using N,N'-dimethylethylenediamine in place of 1,3- diamino-pentane. The resulting white solid gave the following analytical data: 'H NMR: 7.670ppm (q, 2H); 7.340ppm (q, 2H); 4.654ppm (s, 2H); 4.6ppm (very broad s, 1H); 3.917ppm (s, 4H); 3.119ppm (s, 6H). Mass Spectrum: [M + 1] + = 229.1. Example 14 : Preparation of ( 1 H-indol-2-yl)-( 1 -methyl- 1 H-benzimidazol-2-y l)-methanone hvdrochloride (SNX 1017) A solution of N-methyl-benzimidazole (1.32 g, 10.0 mmol) in 50 ml anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was cooled to -78°C under a nitrogen atmosphere. n-Butyl lithium (4.08 ml, 10.2 mmol; 2.5 M in hexane) was slowly added at -78°C. After 30 min stirring, the solution was quenched with a solution of ethyl indole-2-carboxylate (1.98 g, 10.5 mmol) in 50 ml tetrahydrofuran 50 ml at -78°C. The solution was then allowed to warm to room temperature. After 6 h, the solution was quenched with aq. ammonium chloride (20 ml) diluted with diethyl ether (150 ml) The organic layer was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated to give the crude product, which was purified by HPLC. Yield 150 mg, (40%). MS: [M + 1] 276. Example 15: Preparation of bis-(l//-benzimidazol-2-yl)methanone dihvdrochloride (SNX 1719) To a suspension of benzimidazole (1 18 g, 10 0 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran was added formaldehyde 1 ml ( 1 0 eq 37% water solution) at room temperature (for protection of the ring amino groups) After 10 minites. the solvent was removed on a rotavapor, and the intermediate (1-hydroxymethyl) benzimidazole was dried in vacuo for 24 h A solution of (l-hydroxymethyl)benzιmιdazole in anhydrous THF (50 ml) was cooled to - 78°C under nitrogen atmosphere, and t -butyl lithium (6 8 ml, 10 2 mmol, 1 5 M in pentane) was slowly added at -78°C The solution was allowed to warm at -20°C and maintained for 1 h with stirring to give a homogeneous yellow to orange solution The solution was treated with a solution of carbonyldnmidazole (0 08 g, 0 5 mmol) in 50 ml THF at -78°C, then allowed to warm to room temperature After 6 h, the solution was quenched with aqueous NH 4 C1 (20 ml) diluted with diethyl ether (150 ml) and carefully extracted with 2N aqueous hydrochloric acid (4 x 25 ml) The aqueous acidic extracts were combined and basified with aqueous NH 4 OH with stirring at 0°C, giving a precipitate that was filtered off and dried under vaccum The product was purified by HPLC Yield 1 2g, 46% MS [M + 1] 263 Example 16 Purification and Culture of Retinal Ganglion Cells (RGCs) RGCs from postnatal day 8 (P8) Sprague-Dawley rats were purified as previously described (Barres et al , 1988, Meyer-Franke et al , 1995) Purified retinal ganglion cells were plated onto tissue culture plastic precoated with poly-D-lysine and merosin, and cultured in serum-free Neurobasal medium (Gibco) containing various supplements A Isolation of RGCs The tissue from P8 Sprague/Dawley rat retinas (Simonsen Labs, CA) was dissociated enzymatically to obtain a suspension of single cells, by incubating the tissue in a papain solution (15 U/ml per retina, Worthington) in Earle's balanced salt solution (EBSS, Gibco) containing L- cysteine at 37°C for an appropriate time to dissociate the tissue The tissue was then disrupted sequentially with a 1 ml pipette, in a solution containing ovomucoid (Boehπnger-Mannheim), DNase (Sigma), and bovine serum albumin (BSA, Sigma) to yield a single cell suspension The cells were then washed in a suspension of ovomucoid/BSA B Panning Procedure Using sequential lmmunopanning, RGCs can be purified to greater than 99% homogeneity Typically, 20-30% of the RGCs are isolated, which represents about 40,000 to 60,000 RGCs per P8 (post-natal, day 8) animal Panning plates were prepared in petπ dishes (150 mm for the anti-rabbit IgG plates and 100 mm for the T11D7 plate) by incubating with Tns buffer solution (pH 9 5) containing 10 mg/ml of secondary antibody for approximately 12 hours at 4°C Either affinity-purified goat anti-rabbit IgG (H + L chain-specific, Jackson Laboratories) or affinity-purified goat anti-mouse IgM (mu chain-specific. Jackson Laboratories) was used as the secondary antibody The plates were then washed three tunes with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and the dish with anti-mouse IgM antibodies was further incubated with Thy 1 1 IgM monoclonal supernatant (antibody against mouse Thy 1 1 , TI lD7e2, ATCC, TIB 103) for approximately 2 hours at room temperature After removing the supernatant, the plate was washed three times with PBS To prevent nonspecific binding of cells to the panning dish, PBS containing 2 mg/ml bovine serum albumin (BSA) was placed on the panning dishes The retinal cell suspension was incubated in anti-rat macrophage antiserum (Axell) for approximately 20 minutes, centπfuged, resuspended in PBS and incubated on an anti-rabbit panning plate for approximately 45 minutes The plate was gently swirled every 15 minutes to ensure access of all cells to the surface of the plate Following this, the cell suspension was transferred to a second anti-rabbit panning plate for approximately 30 minutes Non-adherent cells were removed with the supernatant, filtered through a 15 μm Nytex mesh (Tetko) and placed on the TI 1D7 panning plate After approximately 45 minutes, the plates were washed eight times with PBS to remove the non-adherent cells C Removal of Adherent Cells A trypsin solution (0 125%) was prepared by diluting a trypsin stock (Sigma) in EBSS (Ca 2 * ' and Mg 2+ free Eagle's balanced salt solution) The cells in the panning dish were incubated with 4 ml of this solution for ten minutes in a 5 % CO, incubator The cells were dislodged by gently pipetting the trypsin solution around the plate Ten ml of 25 % fetal calf serum medium was added to inactivate the trypsin, and the cells were centπfuged and resuspended in culture medium D Cultunng of RGCs Approximately 5,000 purified RGCs were cultured in 96-well plates (Falcon), precoated with poly-D-lysine (PDL, 70 kD, 10 mg/ml, Sigma) and merosin (2 mg/ml, Gibco) The RGCs were cultured in serum-free Neurobasal medium (Brewer et al , 1993, Gibco) containing Sato- Bottenstein and B27 (Gibco) supplement, insulin (Sigma, 5mg/ml), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, 25 ng/ml, Preprotech), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF, 20 ng/ml, Preprotech) and forskohn ( 10 mM, Sigma) The percentage of surviving cells was assessed at 3, 7, and 14 days by the MTT assay Example 17 Oxygen/Glucose Deprivation (OGD) Model for Ischemia Retinal ganglion cells were grown in 96-well plates for 5 days in serum-free medium as described above On the sixth day cells were washed three times in a salt solution, e g Earle's balanced salt solution (EBSS Gibco), containing glucose for control cells, and lacking glucose for test cells (oxygen/ glucose-deprived cells) Control cells were further incubated in a 5 % C0 2 incubator while OGD cells were deprived of oxygen in an anaerobic chamber (for 3 hours) Test compounds were added to control cells and OGD cells for the time period from 30 minutes prior to OGD, during OGD, and for 24 and 48 hours after OGD After 3 hours OGD, control and test cells were transferred to growth medium with glucose and cultured an additional 48 hours in a 5 % C0 2 incubator, followed by a determination of cell viability using MTT, propidium iodide and annexin assays For the cell viability assay, MTT was added to culture and incubated at 37°C for 1 hr Viable cells with active mitochondria cleave the tetrazolium ring to form a visible dark blue formazan product Viable and dead cells are counted by bright field microscopy at various times, e g 24. 48, or 72 hours after oxygen/glucose and/or growth factor deprivation All values are reported as the mean (average) +/- the standard error of the mean (SEM) for at least three replicate cultures 24 hours after oxygen/glucose deprivation (OGD), approximately 25 % fewer retinal ganglion cells were determined to be alive relative to non-deprived control cells After 48 hours, 40% fewer cells survived relative to non-deprived control cells The dead cells showed the typical shrunken morphology of apoptotic cells To confirm that the retinal ganglion cells died of programmed cell death (apoptosis) following OGD, cell cultures were labeled with FITC-coupled annexin V (ApoAlert Kit, Clonetech) and PI at 24 and 48 hours after OGD, followed by light and fluorescent microscopy 200 cells were counted per triplicate value The percentage of annexin positive cells was consistent with that of dead cells observed in previous experiments Approximately 80% total dead RGCs were also annexin V positive at both 24 and 48 hours, indicating that the majority of cells died by apoptosis A Rat filament model Adult male Wistar rats weighing 310-380 g were used Animals were fasted overnight but allowed free access to water Anesthesia was induced and maintained with 3 % isoflurane in 0 8% oxygen Systemic blood pressure was recorded before, during and after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and immediately before administering the test compound Subjects received test compound SNX 912, 5 mg/kg ICV pre-MCAO, or 25 mg/kg IV immediately following reperfusion, after two hours MCAO, as compared to control subjects, which received deionized water Temperature was controlled and recorded before, during and following reperfusion After reperfusion, temperature was measured every hour for 4 hrs post-reperfusion All animals were subjected to 2 hr of MCAO using the intraluminal filament technique of Koizume et al ( 1986) as modified bv Zhao et al ( 1994) A midline surgical incision was made to expose the right common, external and internal carotid arteries The common cartotid, external carotid and occipital arteries were tightly ligated, and the internal carotid artery was temporarily closed with a microvascular clip A small incision was made in the common carotid artery and a nylon monofilament was inserted into the internal carotid artery through the common carotid artery The filament was then carefully advanced 19 mm cephalad to occlude the middle cerebral artery at its site of origin within the Circle of Willis Anesthesia was terminated, and upon awakening the animals were observed for the appearance of neurological deficits during MCAO After 2 hr of MCAO, the animals were re-anesthetized with 1 5 % halothane, and the occlude filament was withdrawn to allow reperfusion Because MCAO by the intraluminal filament technique can give rise to intra- and post- lschemia hyperthermia, rectal temperature was controlled by external heating and cooling for 6 hrs after initiating MCAO Rectal temperature was maintained at 37 5 +/- 0 5°C B Evaluation of Ischemic Damage Following MCAO Animals were killed 24 hr post-reperfusion by C0 2 asphyxiation Following asphyxiation, the brains were quickly removed and chilled in ice cold 0 9% saline for 10 min To visualize the extent of ischemic damage, seven 2 mm thick coronal slices were cut from each brain with a tissue sheer beginning with 1 mm posterior to the anterior pole The slices were immersed in a 0 9% saline solution containing 1 0% 2,3,5-tπpheyltetrazolιm chloride (TTC) and incubated at 37°C for 30 minutes, and observed for the presence of formazan (red), which is produced by the reduction of TTC by endogenous dehydrogenase activity in normal living tissues

Claims: IT IS CLAIMED 1 A pharmaceutical composition useful for inhibiting cell death, comprising an effective amount of a compound of formula I. or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier where X, X', Z and Z' are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano, carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, amino, alkylamino, nitro, and halogen, L is NR' . carbonyl, CR 2 R 3 , or a direct bond, where R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl. and aralkyl, and R 3 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, ammo, lower alkylamino. nitro, halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate, A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole, pyrrole, oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR', O, or S, wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen, and where A B groups on opposing sides of the linker L may be the same or different; and Y and Y' are independently selected from carbon and nitrogen, with the proviso that, when X. X' and R' are hydrogen, L is CH 2 , Y is carbon, and A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an indole or imidazole ring, Z and Z' are not both selected from hydrogen, nitro. amino, and halogen 2 The composition of claim 1 , wherein L is CH 2 , CHCH 3 , or carbonyl 3 The composition of claim 2, wherein L is CH 2 4 The composition of claim 1 , wherein A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring 5 The composition of claim 4. wherein NR' is NH, NCH 3 , or NCH 2 C 6 H 5 (N-benzyl) 6 The composition of claim 4, wherein Y and Y' are carbon 7 The composition of claim 1. wherein at least one of X and X' is amino or nitro 8 The composition of claim 7. wherein X, X'. Z and Z' are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, carboxylic acid or ester, amino. nitro, chloro. and fluoro 9 The composition of claim 8. wherein Z and Z' are independently selected from hydrogen, carboxylic acid, chloro. and fluoro 10 A pharmaceutical composition useful for inhibiting cell death, comprising an effective amount of a compound of formula II, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier where L is NR' , carbonyl, CR 2 R 3 , or a direct bond, where R' and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 3 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, amino, lower alkylamino, nitro, halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate, R 4 is selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, R 5 is selected from an electron pair, hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole, pyrrole, oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR', O, or S, wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen, Y is carbon or nitrogen, W represents a two- to four-carbon alkyl chain linking the two depicted nitrogen atoms to form a five- to seven-membered heterocyclic ring, where each carbon atom of the alkyl chain is unsubstituted or substituted with one or two lower alkyl groups or a hydroxyl group, and Z represents one or more substituents on the aryl ring containing Y, independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano, carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, amino, nitro, and halogen 1 1 The composition of claim 10, wherein A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring 12 The composition of claim 11 , where Y is carbon 13 The composition of claim 10, wherein each carbon atom of the alkyl chain represented by W is unsubstituted or methyl substituted 14 The composition of claim 10, wherein L is CR 2 R 3 15 The composition of claim 14, where R 2 and R 3 are independently selected from hydrogen and lower alkyl 16 The composition of claim 10, where R 5 is an electron pair 17 A pharmaceutical composition useful for inhibiting cell death, comprising an effective amount of a compound of formula III, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier where L is NR 1 , carbonyl, CR 2 R 3 , or a direct bond, where R' and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 3 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, amino, lower alkylamino, nitro, halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate, each R 4 is independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, M is -CR 6 R 7 -CR 8 R 9 - or -CR 6 =CR 8 -, where R 6 - R 9 are independently selected from hydrogen and alkyl 18 The composition of claim 17, wherein L is CH 2 , CHNH 2 , CHN0 2 , carbonyl, or a direct bond 19 The composition of claim 17, wherein R 4 is hydrogen or lower alkyl 20 The composition of claim 18, wherein M is -CR 6 =CR 8 - 21 The composition of claim 20, wherein R 6 and R 8 are independently hydrogen or methyl 22 A pharmaceutical composition useful for inhibiting cell death, comprising an effective amount of a compound of formula IV, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier where A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole, pyrrole, oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR 1 , O, or S, wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen; Y is carbon or nitrogen; Z represents one or more substituents on the aryl ring containing Y, independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano, carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, amino, nitro, and halogen; and Q is selected from nitro and 2-pyridyl. 23. The composition of claim 22, wherein Y is carbon. 24. The composition of claim 23, wherein A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring. 25. The composition of claim 24, wherein Z is hydrogen. 26. A method of inhibiting cell death, comprising administering to a subject in need of such treatment an effective amount of a compound of formula I, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier: where X, X', Z and Z' are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano, carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, amino, alkylamino, nitro, and halogen; L is NR' , carbonyl, CR 2 R 3 , or a direct bond, where R' and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 3 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, amino, lower alkylamino, nitro, halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate; A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole. pyrrole, oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR', O, or S, wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen, and where A B groups on opposing sides of the linker L may be the same or different, and Y and Y' are independently selected from carbon and nitrogen 27 The method of claim 26, wherein L is CH 2 , CHCH,, or carbonyl 28 The method of claim 26, wherein A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole or pyrrole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring 29 The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of X and X' is am o or nitro 30 The method of claim 29, wherein Z and Z' are independently selected from hydrogen, carboxylic acid, chloro, and fluoro 31 A method of inhibiting cell death, comprising administering to a subject in need of such treatment an effective amount of a compound of formula II, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier where L is NR' , carbonyl, CR 2 R , or a direct bond, where R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 3 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, am o, lower alkylamino, nitro. halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate, R 4 is selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, R 5 is selected from an electron pair, hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole, pyrrole, oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR' , O, or S, wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen, Y is carbon or nitrogen, W represents a two- to four-carbon alkyl chain linking the two depicted nitrogen atoms to form a five- to seven-membered heterocyclic ring, where each carbon atom of the alkyl chain is unsubstituted or substituted with one or two lower alkyl groups or a hydroxyl group, and Z represents one or more substituents on the aryl ring containing Y, independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano. carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, amino, nitro, and halogen. 32. The method of claim 31 , wherein A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring. 33. The method of claim 31. wherein each carbon atom of the alkyl chain represented by W is unsubstituted or methyl substituted. 34. The method of claim 31 , where R 4 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, and benzyl, and R 5 is an electron pair. 35. A method of inhibiting cell death, comprising administering to a subject in need of such treatment an effective amount of a compound of formula III, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier: where L is NR 1 , carbonyl, CR 2 R , or a direct bond, where R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and R 3 is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, amino, lower alkylamino, nitro, halogen, and lower alkyl sulfonate; each R 4 is independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl; and M is -CR 6 R 7 -CR R" - or -CR 6 =CR 8 -, where R 6 - R 9 are independently selected from hydrogen and alkyl. 36. The method of claim 35, wherein L is CH 2 , CHNH 2 , CHN0 2 , carbonyl, or a direct bond. 37. The method of claim 35, wherein M is -CR 6 = CR 8 -. 38. A method of inhibiting cell death, comprising administering to a subject in need of such treatment an effective amount of a compound of formula IV, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier: where A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole, pyrrole, oxazole or thiazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring, where one of A and B is nitrogen or carbon and the other is selected from NR 1 , O, or S, wherein at least one of A and B is nitrogen; Y is carbon or nitrogen; Z represents one or more substituents on the aryl ring containing Y, independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cyano, carboxylic acid or ester, sulfonic acid or ester, amino, nitro, and halogen; and Q is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, nitro, cyano, and 2-pyridyl. 39. The method of claim 38, wherein A B represents a three-atom linkage effective to form an imidazole ring fused to the adjacent six-membered ring. 40. The method of claim 38, wherein Z is hydrogen. 41. The method of claim 26, wherein said cell death is apoptotic cell death. 42. The method of claim 26, wherein said cells are neuronal cells or cardiac cells. 43. The method of claim 41 , wherein said cell death is associated with stroke, ischemia, myocardial damage, neurodegeneration, trauma, an autoimmune response, or inflammation. 44. A compound having the structure Ila: where each of R, R', and R" is independently selected from hydrogen and methyl, and W represents a two- to four-carbon alkyl chain linking the two attached nitrogen atoms to form a five- to seven-membered heterocyclic ring, where each carbon atom of the alkyl chain is unsubstituted or substituted with one or two methyl groups. 45. The compound of claim 44, where R, R', and R" are hydrogen and W is -CH 2 CH(CH 3 ) - said compound being designated herein as SNX-1018. 46. The compound of claim 44, where R, R', and R" are hydrogen and W is -CH 2 C(CH 3 ) 2 -, said compound being designated herein as SNX- 1020. 47. The compound of claim 44, where R, R', and R" are hydrogen and W is -(CH 2 ) 3 -, said compound being designated herein as SNX-1818. 48. The compound of claim 44, where R, R', and R" are hydrogen and W is -(CH 2 ) 4 -, said compound being designated herein as SNX-1819. 49. The compound of claim 44, where R is methyl, R' and R" are hydrogen, and W is -(CH 2 ) 2 -, said compound being designated herein as SNX-1019. 50. The compound of claim 44, where R, R', and R" are methyl and W is -(CH 2 ) 2 -, said compound being designated herein as SNX- 1771. 51. A 4-amino-2-(benzimidazol-2'-yl)methyl compound having the structure la: where Z' represents a 4' or 5' substituent on the rightmost depicted ring, and each of Z and Z' is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, chloro, fluoro, carboxy, and methyl. 52. The compound of claim 51 , where one of Z and Z' is hydrogen. 53. The compound of claim 51 , where both Z and Z' are hydrogen, said compound being designated herein as SNX-912. 54. The compound of claim 52, where Z is hydrogen and Z' is 5'-chloro, said compound being designated herein as SNX-923. 55. The compound of claim 52, where Z' is hydrogen and Z is 5-chloro, said compound being designated herein as SNX-947. 56. The compound of claim 52, where Z is hydrogen and Z' is 4'-fluoro, said compound being designated herein as SNX-940. 57. The compound of claim 52, where Z is hydrogen and Z' is 5'-fluoro, said compound being designated herein as SNX-942. 58. The compound of claim 52, where Z is hydrogen and Z' is 5'-carboxy, said compound being designated herein as SNX-977. 59. The compound of claim 52, where Z is hydrogen and Z' is 4'-methyl, said compound being designated herein as SNX-944. 60. The compound of formula I designated herein as SNX 1772 (2-(2- indoly lcarbony l)benz imidazole) . 61. The compound of formula I designated herein as SNX 1719 (2,2-carbonylbisbenzimidazole). 62. The compound of formula II designated herein as SNX 980 (2-(l ,3-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-lH- imidazol-2-y lmethy 1)- 1 H-benzimidazole) .

Inventors: ANSTINE DURAN T, BITLER CATHERINE M, KHAN MOHAMED A, MEYER-FRANKE ANKE, WOOD PAUL L, ZHAO QI, ANSTINE, DURAN, T., BITLER, CATHERINE, M., KHAN, MOHAMED, A., MEYER-FRANKE, ANKE, WOOD, PAUL, L., ZHAO, QI
Applicants: ANSTINE DURAN T, BITLER CATHERINE M, ELAN PHARMA INT LTD, KHAN MOHAMED A, MEYER FRANKE ANKE, WOOD PAUL L, ZHAO QI, ANSTINE, DURAN, T., BITLER, CATHERINE, M., ELAN PHARMA INTERNATIONAL LTD., KHAN, MOHAMED, A., MEYER-FRANKE, ANKE, WOOD, PAUL, L., ZHAO, QI
Application year: 2000
Main classification: C07D235
IPC codes: A61K31, A61P9, A61P17, A61P25, A61P29, A61P37, A61P43, C07D233, C07D235, C07D401, C07D403, C07D519