Indenyl compounds, pharmaceutical compositions, and medical uses thereof

1. A method of therapeutically or prophylactically treating a human or nonhuman mammalian patient comprising administering a compound of formula (II), wherein said method is selected from:

a) a method of therapeutically treating a patient with cancer, wherein the cancer contains an activating mutation of a ras gene and/or a hyperactive Ras protein, wherein the method comprises administering to said patient an anticancer effective amount of at least one compound of formula (II), (Z)- or (E)-isomer thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, or a prodrug thereof, or a pharmaceutical composition comprised thereof; or

b) a method of therapeutically treating a patient with a disease or condition treatable by the inhibition of one or more neoplastic or cancerous process, wherein the neoplastic or cancerous process is mediated by an aberrant Ras, wherein the method comprises administering to a patient in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of at least one neoplastic or cancerous inhibitory compound of formula (II), (Z)- or (E)-isomer thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, or a prodrug thereof, or a pharmaceutical composition comprised thereof;

wherein the compound of formula (II) is:

wherein:

R and R 0 are independently selected from hydrogen, hydroxyl, alkyl, trifluoromethyl, amino, alkoxy and alkylamino, or R and R 0 together is double-bonded oxygen or double-bonded sulfur, or R and R 0 together is a double-bonded nitrogen bonded to hydrogen, hydroxyl, alkyl, or trifluoromethyl; n is 0, 1 or 2;

Y is hydrogen, alkyl, or trifluoromethyl, and Y′ is hydrogen, alkyl, trifluoromethyl, amino, alkylamino, or alkoxy, or Y and Y′ together is double-bonded oxygen or double-bonded sulfur, or Y and Y′ together is a double-bonded nitrogen bonded to hydrogen, hydroxyl, alkyl, or trifluoromethyl;

R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are independently selected from hydrogen, hydroxyl, halogen, alkyl, trifluoromethyl, alkoxy, and alkylmercapto;

R 7 and R 8 are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, trifluoromethyl, and alkoxy;

R 14 is selected from hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, trifluoromethyl, hydroxyl, formyloxy, alkylcarbonyloxy, hydroxyalkyl, aldehydo, amino, alkylamino, aminoalkyl, alkylaminoalkyl, dialkylamino, mercapto, azido, and substituted or unsubstituted groups selected from alkylsulfinyloxy, alkylsulfonyloxy, carbamate, carbamido, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylaminocarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, and sulfonamido;

R 12 , R 13 , R 15 and R 16 are independently selected from hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, trifluoromethyl, hydroxyl, alkoxy, formyloxy, alkylcarbonyloxy, hydroxyalkyl, aldehydo, amino, alkylamino, aminoalkyl, alkylaminoalkyl, dialkylamino, mercapto, azido, and substituted or unsubstituted groups selected from alkylsulfinyloxy, alkylsulfonyloxy, carbamate, carbamido, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylaminocarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, and sulfonamido, or

any two of R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , R 15 and R 16 form an alkylenedioxy group;

X is NR′R″, where R′ is furanyl or furanylalkyl wherein the furanyl of the furanyl or furanylalkyl is optionally substituted with one or more of halo, alkyl, trifluoromethyl, hydroxyl, alkoxy, amino, alkylamino, dialkylamino, mercapto, alkylmercapto, carboxamido, aldehydo, cyano, oxo, alkylcarbonyloxy, and sulfonamido; and R″ is selected from hydrogen, alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, aminoalkyl, dialkylaminoalkyl, cyanoalkyl, haloalkyl, alkylcarbonylalkylcarbonyloxy, pyridyl, and COR 11 wherein R 11 is selected from hydrogen, trifluoromethyl, alkylmercapto, and aryl;

wherein said compound is administered either alone or in combination with radiation and/or with at least one anticancer drug which is not a compound of formula (II), nor a (Z)- or (E)-isomer thereof, nor a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, nor a prodrug thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the patient's cancer is a cancer selected from pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, melanoma, ovarian cancer, renal cancer, prostate cancer, head and neck cancer, endocrine cancer, uterine cancer, breast cancer, sarcoma cancer, gastric cancer, hepatic cancer, esophageal cancer, central nervous system cancer, brain cancer, germline cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the cancer is selected from pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said compound of formula (II) is selected from:

(Z)—N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)-2-(1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylbenzylidene)-5-methoxy-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl)acetamide (001),

(Z)-2-(5-fluoro-1-(4-formoxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzylidene)-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl)-N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)acetamide (002),

(Z)—N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)-2-(1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzylidene)-5-methoxy-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl)acetamide (006),

(Z)-2-(5-fluoro-1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzylidene)-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl)-N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)acetamide (007),

(Z)—N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)-2-(1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzylidene)-5,6-dimethoxy-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl)acetamide (008),

(Z)—N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)-2-(1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)-5-methoxy-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl)acetamide (012),

(Z)-2-(1-(3-bromo-4-hydroxy-5-methoxybenzylidene)-5-methoxy-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl)-N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)acetamide (013),

(Z)-2-(1-(3-chloro-4-hydroxy-5-methoxybenzylidene)-5-methoxy-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl)-N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)acetamide (014),

(Z)-2-(1-(3-fluoro-4-hydroxy-5-methoxybenzylidene)-5-methoxy-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl)-N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)acetamide (016),

(Z)-2-(5-fluoro-1-((7-hydroxybenzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)methylene)-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl)-N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)acetamide (017),

(Z)—N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)-2-(1-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzylidene)-5-methoxy-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl)acetamide (020),

(Z)-2-(5-fluoro-1-(4-(hydroxymethyl)-3,5-dimethoxybenzylidene)-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl)-N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)acetamide (021),

(Z)-2-(5-fluoro-1-(4-mesyloxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzylidene)-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl)-N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)acetamide (029),

(Z)—N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)-2-(1-(4-ethoxycarbonyl-3,5-dimethoxybenzylidene)-5-methoxy-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl)acetamide (095), and

(Z)-4-((5-fluoro-3-(2-((furan-2-ylmethyl)amino)-2-oxoethyl)-2-methyl-1H-inden-1-ylidene)methyl)-2,6-dimethoxyphenyl (2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)carbamate (099),

wherein said compound is administered either alone or in combination with radiation and/or with at least one anticancer drug which is not a compound of formula (II), nor a (Z)- or (E)-isomer thereof, nor a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, nor a prodrug thereof.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the patient's cancer is a cancer selected from pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, melanoma, ovarian cancer, renal cancer, prostate cancer, head and neck cancer, endocrine cancer, uterine cancer, breast cancer, sarcoma cancer, gastric cancer, hepatic cancer, esophageal cancer, central nervous system cancer, brain cancer, germline cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the cancer is selected from pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer.