NK-3 receptor selective antagonist compounds, pharmaceutical composition and methods for use in NK-3 receptors mediated disorders

1. A method of treating a disease mediated or associated with NK-3 receptor modulation, comprising administering to a patient in need thereof a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound of formula I:

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof and at least one pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, diluent, excipient and/or adjuvant, wherein

Ar 1 is a 5- to 6-membered aryl or heteroaryl group, 3- to 6-membered cycloalkyl group, a 3- to 6-membered heterocyclyl group or a C3-C6 alkyl group, each of the aryl, heteroaryl, cycloalkyl or heterocyclyl groups being optionally substituted by one or more group(s) selected from halo, cyano, alkyl, haloalkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, heterocyclyl, aryl, aralkyl, heteroaryl, hydroxyl, alkoxy, haloalkoxy, alkoxyalkoxy, alkylamino, carboxy, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy, alkylcarbonylamino, haloalkylcarbonylamino, carbamoyl, alkylcarbamoyl, carbamoylamino, alkylcarbamoylamino, alkylsulfonyl, haloalkylsulfonyl, sulfamoyl, alkylsulfamoyl, alkylsulfonylamino, haloalkylsulfonylamino, or two substituents form an alkylenedioxy group or a haloalkylenedioxy group, or two substituents form a cycloalkyl or heterocycloalkyl moiety together with the cycloalkyl or heterocycloalkyl group they are attached to, or fused to the aryl, heteroaryl, cycloalkyl or heterocycloalkyl group may be one or more aryl moiety, each of said substituents being optionally substituted by one or more further substituent(s) selected from halo, cyano, alkyl, haloalkyl, cyclopropyl, alkoxy, haloalkoxy, heterocyclyl, aryl, heteroaryl, aryloxy heteroaryloxy;

L 1 is C 1 -C 2 alkylene optionally being substituted by one or more group(s) selected from halo, methyl or ethyl under the condition that R 2 ′ together with R 2 form an oxo substituent, or L 1 is carbonyl or sulfonyl, or L 1 is —(C═O)—CH 2 — where the C═O is linked to the piperazine nitrogen and the CH 2 to Ar 1 ;

R 1 is H, a C 1 -C 4 alkyl, aryl or aralkyl group, each of said alkyl, aryl or aralkyl groups being optionally substituted by one or more group(s) selected from halo or hydroxyl;

R 1′ is H or a C 1 -C 4 alkyl group;

R 2 is H or a C 1 -C 4 alkyl group;

R 2′ is H or a C 1 -C 4 alkyl group, or, when L 1 is C 1 -C 2 alkylene optionally being substituted by one or more group(s) selected from halo, methyl or ethyl, R 2′ together with R 2 form an oxo substituent;

R 3 is H or a C 1 -C 4 alkyl group optionally substituted by one hydroxy;

R 3′ is H or a C 1 -C 4 alkyl group;

X 1 and X 2 are independently N;

L 2 is a single bond or carbonyl,

Ar 2 is a 5- to 6-membered aryl or heteroaryl group, each of the aryl, or heteroaryl groups being optionally substituted by one or more group(s) selected from halo, cyano, alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, haloalkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, heterocyclyl, aryl, heteroaryl, aralkyl, heteroarylalkyl, hydroxyl, alkoxy, haloalkoxy, alkylamino, carboxy, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy, alkylcarbonylamino, haloalkylcarbonylamino, acylamino, carbamoyl, alkylcarbamoyl, carbamoylalkyl, carbamoylamino, alkylcarbamoylamino, alkylsulfonyl, haloalkylsulfonyl, arylsulfonylalkyl, sulfamoyl, alkylsulfamoyl, alkylsulfonylamino, haloalkylsulfonylamino, or two substituents form an alkylenedioxy group or a haloalkylenedioxy group, or fused to the aryl or heteroaryl group may be one or more cycloalkyl, aryl, heterocyclyl or heteroaryl moiety, each of said substituents being optionally substituted by one or more further substituent(s) selected from halo, cyano, alkyl, haloalkyl, alkoxy, haloalkoxy, cycloalkyl, heterocyclyl optionally substituted by alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, hydroxyl, alkoxyalkyl, hydroxyalkoxy, alkylamino, alkylsulfonylamino, alkoxycarbonylamino, aminoalkoxy, or alkoxycarbonylaminoalkoxy;

and wherein, when:

R 1 , R 1′ , R 2 , R 2′ , R 3 , R 3′ , are H, and

L 1 is carbonyl, and

L 2 is single bond, and

Ar 1 is a 6-membered aryl optionally substituted by one or more group(s) selected from halo, cyano, C1-C3 alkyl, C1 haloalkyl, and

Ar 2 is a 5- to 6-membered aryl or heteroaryl group optionally substituted by one or more group(s) selected from halo, C1-C3 alkyl, hydroxyl, methoxy, or fused to an aryl or heteroaryl group optionally substituted by one or more further halo, C1-C3 alkyl, hydroxyl, methoxy,

then,

Ar 1 is phenyl, 3-halophenyl, 4-halophenyl, 2,3-dichlorophenyl, 2,4-difluorophenyl, 2,5-dihalophenyl, 2,6-difluorophenyl, 2,6-dichlorophenyl, 3,4-dihalophenyl, 3,5-dihalophenyl, 3,4,5-trihalophenyl, 2-cyanophenyl, 3-cyanophenyl, 4-cyanophenyl, 2,3-dicyanophenyl, 2,4-dicyanophenyl, 3,5-dicyanophenyl, 3-cyano-4-halophenyl, 4-(C1-C3 alkyl)phenyl, 3,4-di(C1-C3alkyl)phenyl, 3,5-di(C1-C3 alkyl)phenyl, 4-(C1 haloalkyl)phenyl, and

Ar 2 is quinolin-2-yl, isoquinolin-3-yl, 8-haloquinolin-2-yl, benzothiazol-2-yl, 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1,3-benzothiazol-2-yl;

with the following provisos:

Ar 1 is neither a substituted or unsubstituted pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-2yl nor a substituted or unsubstituted pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-2yl moiety; and

said disease being selected from the group consisting of: depression, anxiety, psychosis, schizophrenia, psychotic disorders, bipolar disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd), obesity, emesis, pre-eclampsia, bronchoconstriction and cough, reproduction disorders and sex hormone-dependent diseases.

2. A method of treating a disease defined in claim 1 , wherein the sex hormone-dependent diseases are benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), metastatic prostatic carcinoma, testicular cancer, breast cancer, androgen dependent acne, male pattern baldness, endometriosis, abnormal puberty, uterine fibrosis, hormone-dependent cancers, hyperandrogenism, hirsutism, virilization, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), HAIR-AN syndrome (hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance and acanthosis nigricans), ovarian hyperthecosis (HAIR-AN with hyperplasia of luteinized theca cells in ovarian stroma), other manifestations of high intraovarian androgen concentrations, gynecological disorders, infertility or androgen-producing tumor.

3. A method of treating a disease defined in claim 2 , wherein the other manifestations of high intraovarian androgen concentrations are follicular maturation arrest, atresia, anovulation, dysmenorrhea, dysfunctional uterine bleeding or infertility.

4. A method of treating a disease defined in claim 2 , wherein the androgen-producing tumor is virilizing ovarian tumor or virilizing adrenal tumor.