Patent ID: 7671085

Claim:
A method for modulating the farnesoid X receptor, wherein the disease to be treated is selected from the group consisting of hypercholestermia and cholestasis, said method comprising contacting said receptor with an effective amount of at least one compound having the structure: wherein: A is a C3 up to C8 branched chain alkyl or substituted alkyl group, a C3 up to C7 cycloalkyl or substituted cycloalkyl, an optionally substituted aryl or an optionally substituted heteroaryl, X is —C(O)— or —CH 2 —, R is methyl or ethyl, R 1 is H, hydroxy, alkoxy, benzoyloxy, mesityloxy, or —OCH 2 C(O)OC 2 H 5 , R 2 is H or R 2 can cooperate with R 3 to form a benzopyran, wherein the pyran ring has the structure: wherein: R 6 is not present if the pyran ring is unsaturated, or, if present, is selected from H, —OR, wherein R is alkyl or acyl, or R 6 can cooperate with R 7 to form a cyclic acetal, a cyclic ketal, or a cyclopropyl moiety, and only one of R 7 and R 8 is present if the pyran ring is unsaturated, or R 7 and R 8 are independently H, carboxyl, cyano, hydroxy, alkoxy, thioalkyl, aryl, or R 7 and R 8 taken together comprise a carbonyl oxygen or an oxime nitrogen, or either R 7 or R 8 can cooperate with R 6 to form a cyclic acetal, a cyclic ketal, or a cyclopropyl moiety, R 3 can cooperate with R 2 to form a benzopyran having the structure set forth above, or R 3 is alkenyl, optionally substituted aryl or heteroaryl, or optionally substituted arylalkenyl or heteroarylalkenyl, R 4 is H or hydroxy, and R 5 is H, hydroxy, alkoxy or aryloxy.