Fused ring heteroaryl and heterocyclic compounds which inhibit leukocyte adhesion mediated by VLA-4

1. A compound of formula IIIa:

wherein

R 3 is selected from the group consisting of:

(a) —(CH 2 ) x —Ar—R 35 , where R 35 is selected from the group consisting of —O—Z—NR ∓R 36 ′ and —O—Z—R 37 wherein R 36 and R 36′ are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, or R 36 and R 36′ are joined to form a heterocycle or a substituted heterocycle, R 37 is selected from the group consisting of heterocycle and substituted heterocycle, and Z is selected from the group consisting of —C(O)—and—SO 2 —, Ar is aryl, heteroaryl, substituted aryl or substituted heteroaryl, x is an integer from 1 to 4; and

(b) Ar 1 —Ar 2 —C 1-10 alkynyl-, Ar 1 —Ar 2 —C 2-10 alkynyl-, Ar 1 —Ar 2 C 2-10 alkynyl-, wherein Ar 1 and Ar 2 are independently aryl or heteroaryl each of which is optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from R b ; alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl are optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from R a ;

R 3′ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 2-10 alkynyl, aryl, aryl C 1-10 alkyl, heteroaryl, and heteroaryl C 1-10 alkyl, wherein alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl are optionally substituted with one to four substituents selected from R a , and aryl and heteroaryl are optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from R b ;

R a is selected from the group consisting of Cy,—OR d , —NO 2 , halogen, —S(O) m R d , —SR d , —S(O) 2 OR d, —S(O) m NR d R e , —NR d R e , —O(CR f R g ) n NR d R e , —C(O)R d , —CO 2 R d , —CO 2 (CR f R g ) n CONR d R e , —OC(O)R d , —CN, —C(O)NR d R e , NR d C(O)R e , —OC(O)NR d R e , —NR d C(O)OR e , —NR d C(O)NR d R e , —CR d (N—OR e ), CF 3 , and —OCF 3 ; wherein Cy is optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from R c ;

R b is selected from the group consisting of R a , C 1-10 , alkyl, C 2-10 alkenyl, C 2-10 alkynyl, aryl C 1-10 alkyl, heteroaryl, C 1-10 alkyl, wherein alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, heteroaryl are optionally substituted with a group independently selected from R c ; R c is selected from the group consisting of halogen, amino, carboxy, C 1-4 alkyl, C 1-4 alkoxy, aryl, aryl C 1-4 alkyl, hydroxy, CF 3 and aryloxy; R d and R e are independently selected from hydrogen, C 2-10 alkyl, C 2-10 alkenyl, C 2-10 alkynyl, Cy and Cy—C 1-10 alkyl, wherein alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and Cy are optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from R c ; or R d and R e together with the atoms to which they are attached form a heterocyclic ring of 5 to 7 members containing 0-2 additional heteroatoms independently selected from oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen; R f and R g are independently selected from hydrogen, C 1-10 alkyl, Cy and Cy—C 1-10 alkyl; or R f and R g together with the carbon to which they are attached form a ring of 5 to 7 members containing 0-2 heteroatoms independently selected from oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen;

Cy is cycloalkyl, heterocyclyl, aryl, or heteroaryl;

m is an integer from 1 to 2;

n is an integer from 10; R4 ′is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl; R7 and R8 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, acyl, acylamino, thiocarbonyl-amino, acyloxy, amino, amidino, alkyl amidirx, thioamidino, aminoacyl, aminocarbonylamino, aminothiocarbonylamino, aminocarbonyloxy, aryl, substituted aryl, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, aryloxyaryl, substituted aryloxyaryl, cyano, halogen, hydroxyl, nitro, carboxyl, carboxylalkyl, carboxyl-substituted alkyl, carboxyl-cycloalkyl, carboxyl-substituted cycloalkyl, carboxylaryl, carboxyl-substituted aryl, carboxylheteroaryl, carboxyl -substituted heteroaryl, carboxylheterocyclic, carboxyl-substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, guanidino, guanidinosulfone, thiol, thioalkyl, substituted thioalkyl, thioaryl, substituted thioaryl, thiocycloalkyl, substituted thiocycloalkyl, thioheteroaryl, substituted thioheteroaryl, thioheterocyclic, substituted thioheterocyclic, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy, oxycarbonylamino, oxythiocarbonylamino, —OS(O) 2 -alkyl, —OS(O) 2 - substituted alkyl, —OS(O) 2 —aryl, —OS(O) 2 substituted aryl, —OS(O) 2 -heteroaryl, —OS(O) 2 -substituted heteroaryl, —OS(O) 2 -heterocyclic, —OS(O) 2 -substituted heterocyclic,—OSO 2 -NRR where each R is independently hydrogen or alkyl, —NRS(O) 2 -alkyl, NRS(O) 2 -substituted alkyl, —NRS(O) 2 -aryl, —NRS(O) 2 - substituted aryl, —NRS(O) 2 -heteroaryl, —NRS(O) 2 -substituted heteroaryl, —NRS(O) 2 -heterocyclic, —NRS(O) 2 -substituted heterocyclic, —NRS(O) 2 —NR-alkyl, —NRS(O) 2 —NR-substituted alkyl, —NRS(O) 2 —NR—aryl, —NRS(O) 2 —NR-substituted aryl, —NRS(O) 2 —NR-heteroaryl, —NRS(O) 2 —NR-substituted heteroaryl, —NRS(O) 2 —NR-heterocyclic, —NRS(O) 2 —NR—substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen or alkyl, —N[S(O) 2 2 —R′] 2 and —N[S(O) 2 —NR′] 2 where each R′is independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic, mono- and di-alkylamino, mono- and di-(substituted alkyl)amino, mono- and di-arylamino, mono- and di-substituted alkylamino, mono- and di-heteroarylamino, mono- and di-substituted heteroarylamino, mono- and di-heterocyclic amino, mono- and di-substituted heterocyclic amino, unsynunetric di-substituted amines having different substituents selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and substituted alkyl groups having amino groups blocked by conventional blocking groups selected from t -butoxycarbonyl, benzyloxycarbonyl, and formyl or alkyl/substituted alkyl groups substituted with —SO 2 -alkyl, —SO 2 -substituted alkyl, —SO 2 -alkenyl, —SO 2 -substituted alkenyl, —SO 2 -cycloalkyl, —SO 2 -substituted cycloalkyl, —SO 2 -aryl, —SO 2 -substituted aryl, —SO 2 -heteroaryl, —SO 2 -substituted heteroaryl, —SO 2 -heterocyclic, —SO 2 -substituted heterocyclic and —SO 2 NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl;

R 5 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, heteroaryl and substituted heteroaryl;

X is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl, alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, alkenoxy, substituted alkenoxy, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, cycloalkenoxy, substituted cycloalkenoxy, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy and-NR″R″ where each R″ is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

2. The compound of claim 1 , wherein said compound has the formula IIIb:

wherein R 5 , R 7 ,R 8 , R 4′ , R 35 , x, and X are as defined in claim 1 .

3. The compound of claim 1 , wherein R 4′ is hydrogen.

4. The compound of claim 1 , wherein X is hydroxyl or alkoxy.

5. The compound of claim 1 , wherein R 5 is substituted alkyl.

6. The compound of claim 1 , wherein R 7 and R 8 are both hydrogen.

7. The compound of claim 2 , wherein R 35 is —O—Z—NR 36 R 36′ .

8. The compound of claim 7 , wherein Z is —C(O)—and R 36 and R 36′ are alkyl.

9. A compound selected from the group consisting of:

N—[l —(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)benzimidazol-2-yl]—L—4—(N,N -dimethylcarbamyloxy) phenylalanine tert-butyl ester, and

N—[ 1 —(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)benzimidazol-2-yl]—L—4—(N,N -dimethylcarbamyloxy) phenylalanine,

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

10. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and a therapeutically effective amount of one or more of a compound of any one of claims 1 - 5 and 6 - 9 .

11. A method for the treatment of an inflammatory disease mediated by VLA-4 in a patient said disease selected from the group consisting of asthma, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis which method comprises administering to the patient the pharmaceutical compositions of claim 10 .