Patent ID: 8669261

Claim:
A method for the treatment of a disease or condition associated with the activity of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) in a subject afflicted therewith comprising administering to the subject a compound of the general formula (I) wherein: W is aryl or heteroaryl; a is 0, 1, 2, or 3; R and R′ are the same or different and, independently from each other, is: hydrogen; halogen; (C1-C3)alkoxy; (C1-C2)haloalkoxy; (C1-C2)haloalkyl; NR 1 R 2 ; CN; SO 2 NH 2 ; or optionally substituted (C1-C6)alkyl, aryl or heteroaryl; R″ is: halogen; (C1-C3)alkyl; (C1-C3)alkoxy; (C1-C3)alkoxyalkyl; (C1-C2)haloalkoxy; (C1-C2)haloalkyl; NR 3 R 4 ; or (CH 2 ) n —X—(CH 2 ) m -Q, wherein: n, m independently, are 0, 1, or 2; X is a direct bond; O; S; NH; or N(C1-C3)alkyl; Q is an optionally substituted aryl, heteroaryl, heterocycloalkyl or cycloalkyl; R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 are the same or different and, independently from each other, is a hydrogen atom; a (C1-C3)alkyl or, taken together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, R 1 —N—R 2 and R 3 —N—R 4 may form a heterocyclic ring of formula: wherein: R 5 is a hydrogen atom or a (C1-C3)alkyl group; with the proviso that: when W is phenyl, a is 1, 2 or 3; when W is phenyl and R is hydrogen, R″ is other than chlorine, methyl, isopropyl, CF 3 or NH 2 ; when W is indazol-5-yl or pyrid-2-yl, R is other than hydrogen, (C1-C3)alkoxy; or a tautomer, a racemate, an enantiomer, a diastereomer, an epimer, a mixture thereof, a prodrug thereof or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and wherein the disease or condition associated with the activity of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) is myocardial infarction, heart failure, organ ischemia, ischemic and traumatic brain damage, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy, Bentham myopathy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, diabetes type I and type II, diabetic complications, hyperglycemic tissue damage, hypoglycemic tissue damage, cholestasis, or alcohol-induced damage.