Patent ID: 8030343

Claim:
A method of reducing elevated levels of PDE IV in a mammal, which comprises administering thereto an effective amount of a compound of formula (I): or an acid addition salt or a substantially chirally pure isomer thereof, wherein: each of R 1 and R 2 , independently of the other, is alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, cyano, cycloalkoxy of 3 to 18 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl of 3 to 18 carbon atoms, or cycloalkylmethoxy in which cycloalkyl has from 3 to 18 carbon atoms; one of X and X′ is ═C═O and the other of X and X′ is ═C═O or ═CH 2 ; R 3 is —SO 2 —Y, —COZ, —CN, or hydroalkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms in which Y is alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, phenyl, or benzyl; Z is —NR 6″ R 7″ , alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, phenyl, or benzyl; R 6″ is hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl of 3 to 18 carbon atoms, phenyl, benzyl, or alkanoyl of 2 to 5 carbon atoms, each of which is unsubstituted or substituted with halo, amino, or alkylamino of 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R 7″ is alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms; n is 1, 2, or 3; one of R 4 and R 5 is hydrogen and the other of R 4 and R 5 is imidazolyl, pyrrolyl, oxadiazolyl, triazolyl, or in which z is 0 or 1; R 6 , when taken independently of R 7 , is selected from cycloalkanoyl whose cycloalkyl portion contains 3 to 6 carbon atoms, each of which is unsubstituted or substituted with halo, amino, monoalkylamino or dialkylamino in which each alkyl group contains 1 to 4 carbon atoms; and R 7 is hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, methylsulfonyl, or alkoxyalkylcarbonyl of 2 to 5 carbon atoms; or R 6 and R 7 , taken together, are alkylidene of 1 or 2 carbon atoms substituted by amino, alkylamino, or dialkylamino, in which each alkyl group has from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or, provided z is 1, —CH═CH—CH═CH—, or —CH═CH—N═CH—; and, the carbon atom designated * constitutes a center of chirality.