the present invention . [. relates to .]. . iadd . provides methods for inhibiting bronchoconstriction , methods for inhibiting leukotriene biosynthesis , and pharmaceutical compositions involving . iaddend . compounds of formula i : ## str1 ## wherein l is divalent phenyl , straight - chain lower alkylene , the chain of which may optionally contain an ether or thioether linkage , or divalent cycloalkyl ( preferably cyclohexyl ), with the proviso that if l is divalent cycloalkyl with the amide carbonyl and the carboxyl in the 1 , 2 positions , then the amide carbonyl and the carboxyl are cis to each other ; and carboxylate derivatives thereof selected from lower alkyl ester , ( lower ) alkylamino ( lower ) alkyl esters , pharmaceutically acceptable ( lower ) alkylamino ( lower ) alkyl ester acid - addition salts and pharmaceutically acceptable carboxylate salts . the phrase &# 34 ; lower alkyl &# 34 ; as used in the instant specification and claims denotes straight or branched chain moieties containing one to about four carbon atoms . the phrase &# 34 ; cycloalkyl ring &# 34 ; denotes a hydrocarbon ring containing 5 or 6 carbon atoms therein . the phrase &# 34 ; lower alkylene &# 34 ; denotes moieties containing one to about four carbon atoms . presently preferred are . iadd . compositions and methods involving . iaddend . compounds wherein the ## str2 ## group is oriented para to the biphenyl bond . . iadd . this invention also provides compounds of formula i selected from the group consisting of n -( 3 &# 39 ;, 5 &# 39 ;- di - tertiary - butyl - 4 &# 39 ;- hydroxy - 2 - biphenylyl ) glutaramic acid , n -( 3 &# 39 ;, 5 &# 39 ;- di - tertiary - butyl - 4 &# 39 ;- hydroxy - 2 - biphenylyl ) diglycolamic acid , 2 -{ n - 4 -( 3 , 5 - di - t - butyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- phenyl ] carbamoyl } benzoic acid , cis - 2 -{ n -[ 4 -( 3 , 5 - di - t - butyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) phenyl ] carbamyl } cyclohexanecarboxylic acid , and carboxylate derivatives thereof selected from lower alkyl esters , ( lower ) alkylamino ( lower ) alkyl esters , pharmaceutically acceptable ( lower ) alkylamino ( lower ) alkyl ester acid - addition salts and pharmaceutically acceptable carboxylate salts . . iaddend . it is well known to the art that pharmaceutically acceptable salts such as alkali metal , alkaline earth , aluminum and other metal and amine salts of pharmaceutically active carboxylic acids are the equivalents of the acids in terms of activity , and in some cases may even offer advantages in absorption , formulation and the like . pharmaceutically - acceptable carboxylate salts of the compounds of . [. the invention .]. . iadd . formula i . iaddend . are prepared by reaction of the acid with a base and subsequent evaporation to dryness , preferably under mild conditions . the base may be organic , e . g ., sodium methoxide or an amine , or inorganic , e . g ., sodium hydroxide . alternatively , the cation of a carboxylate salt , e . g ., sodium , may be displaced by a second cation such as calcium or magnesium when the salt of the second cation is more insoluble in a selected solvent . other useful derivatives of the compounds of . [. the invention .]. . iadd . formula i . iaddend . include alkyl esters and alkylamino esters and salts of the latter . in the ester derivatives , the hydrogen portion of the carboxylic acid group is replaced with an alkyl or substituted alkyl . the esters may be prepared by standard synthetic methods . compounds of formula i may be prepared according to the method of scheme 1 below wherein l is as defined above . ## str3 ## in scheme 1 , a diacid anhydride of formula iii is reacted with amino - 3 , 5 - di - tertiary - butyl - 4 - hydroxybiphenyl of formula ii . suitable anhydrides of formula iii are known compounds such as glutaric anhydride , phthalic anhydride and the like . compounds of formula ii are similarly known having been disclosed in , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 172 , 151 . the reaction of scheme 1 is carried out by combining the reactants in an inert solvent such as diethyl ether or glyme . the reaction mixture may optionally be heated . the products of formula i are readily isolated using standard techniques , e . g ., filtration , extraction and the like , and are purified by recrystallization . compounds of formula i may also be prepared according to the method of scheme 2 below wherein l is as defined above and q is a carboxylate ester . ## str4 ## in scheme 2 , an acid halide of formula iv is first reacted in step ( 1 ) with an amino - 3 , 5 - di - tertiary - butyl - 4 - hydroxybiphenyl of formula ii . suitable acid halides of formula iv are known compounds such as methyl glutaryl chloride and the like . the reaction is carried out by combining the reactants in an inert solvent and the reaction mixture may optionally be heated . the compound of formula v provided in step ( 1 ) may then be readily converted to the acids of formula i in step 2 using conventional hydrolysis means . the activity of compounds of formula i may be demonstrated readily by in vivo testing . the in vivo test used may be any of those known to those skilled in the art . preferably , bronchoconstriction in sensitized guinea pigs is measured upon antigen challenge . active compounds are those which demonstrate an intraoeritoneal ed 40 of 100 mg per kg or less , and preferably an ed 40 of 50 mg per kg or less . most preferred compounds are active at 25 mg per kg . this test is described in broad terms by piechuta , et al ., immunology , 38 , 385 ( 1979 ) and more specifically by hammerbeck and swingle , int . archs . allergy appl . immun ., 74 , 84 - 90 ( 1984 ), both references being incorporated herein by reference . it was used in a modified form as follows : male hartley guinea pigs ( 250 - 600 g ) were pretreated with an antihistamine , e . g ., chlorpheniramine , then dosed intraperitoneally with a compound of the invention at a level of about 1 to 40 mg / kg 15 minutes prior to challenge or orally at the same dose 30 minutes prior to challenge . the animals were placed under an inverted dessicator jaw ( 18 × 14 cm ) with a constant flow of air coming into the chamber from a compressed - air source to prevent hypoxia and were aerosol challenged with either water or ovalbumin at a concentration of 10 mg per ml . air flow leaving the chamber and fluctuations due to respiration were monitored through a separate outlet with a fleisch no . 0000 pneumotachograph ( available from beckman instruments , inc ., schiller park , ill .) coupled to a beckman type r dynograph ( available from beckman instruments , inc .). aerosolization through a third outlet was made via a no . 4 devilbiss nebulizer ( available from the devilbiss company , somerset , pa .) for 90 seconds at 150 mm hg . the characteristic respiratory patterns observed were summations of two air exchange processes occurring simultaneously in the chamber . one exchange process was due to inspiration and expiration of air into and out of the animal , while the other exchange process was due to the air flow into and out of the chamber due to respiratory movements . the tracing obtained was the mechanical representation of the summation of those flows . superimposed on the tracings was a characteristic spiking (` notching `), which appears to be an exaggerated expiratory movement , the frequency of which correlates with the severity of the bronchoconstrictive reaction . the frequency of notching for 15 - minute periods beginning 4 minutes after the beginning of the aerosol challenge was used for comparing various treatments . effects were considered significant if the t value achieved p & lt ; 0 . 05 . the compounds may also be treated in more specific tests for the inhibition of leukotriene synthesis . active compounds are those which exhibit an ic 50 of 100 micromolar or less , and preferably less than 25 micromolar . most preferred compounds exhibit an ic 50 of 10 micromolar or less . the compounds are tested in either intact cells or in cell sonicate . the intact cell assay is similar to that described by verhagen et al ., febs letter 168 , 23 - 28 ( 1984 ), incorporatd hrein by reference . human leukocytes are prepared using standard procedures . the cells are incubated in ph 7 . 4 tris buffer containing 5 millimolar calcium chloride and 5 millimolar glutathione . after vehicle or drug incubation , the cells are activated with the calcium ionophore a 23187 ( 4 micrograms per ml ). after 15 minutes at room temperature , the cells are centrifuged and the supernatants are stored for assay of ltc 4 content by radioimmunoassay . the cell sonicate assay utilizes the cell free leukotriene biosynthesis system of m . steinhoff et al ., biochim . biophy . acta ., 68 , 28 ( 1980 ) incorporated herein by reference , which consists of homogenized rat basophil leukemia cells . leukotriene synthesis is initiated by the addition of arachidonate . solutions are centrifuged and supernatants assayed using a radioimmunoassay developed as described by aeringhaus et al ., febs letter 146 , 111 - 114 , incorporated herein by reference . drugs are dissolved in ethanol or dimethyl sulfoxide and preincubated for five minutes . phenidone is used as a positive control . the pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention will contain sufficient compound of formula i in a dosage form suitable for inhibiting the mammalian biosynthesis of leukotrienes , or for the treatment desired . the effective concentration of the formula i compound in the composition will vary as required by the mode of administration , dosage form and pharmacological effect and level desired . for treating pulmonary conditions such as asthma , the mode of administration may be oral , parenteral , by inhalation , by suppository and the like . suitable oral dosage forms are tablets , elixirs , emulsions , solutions , capsules , including delayed or sustained release dosage forms . dosage forms for administration by inhalation include aerosols and sprays and may be administered in metered dose . for treating allergies or allergic reactions , the compound of formula i may be administered by any conventional mode , e . g ., orally , parenterally , topically , subcutaneously , by inhalation and the like . the oral and parenteral dosage forms are as described for pulmonary treatment . the topical application dosage forms include ointments , sprays , controlled release patches , powders , solutions and the like . for treating inflammation , the mode of administration may be oral , parenteral , by suppository and the like . the various dosage forms are as described above . for treating skin diseases such as psoriasis , atopic dermatitis and the like , oral , topical or parenteral administration is useful . for topical application to the diseased area , salves , patches , controlled release patches , emulsions , etc . are convenient dosage forms . for treating cardiovascular conditions , any suitable mode of administration , such as oral or intraperitoneal , may be used . in addition to the common dosage forms listed above , the compounds of formula i may also be administered for various utilities and indications or for inhibiting leukotriene synthesis by controlled release means and / or delivery devices . in preparing suitable dosage forms , conventional compounding procedures and ingredients , e . g ., diluents , carriers , etc . may be used . examples of suitable solid carriers are lactose , terra alba , sucrose , talc , gelatin , agar , pectin , acacia , magnesium stearate , stearic acid and the like . examples of suitable liquid carriers are syrup , peanut oil , olive oil , peg - 400 , water and the like . similarly , the carrier or diluent can include any time delay material well known to the art , such as glyceryl monostearate or glyceryl distearate , these being useful alone , or , for example , in combination with wax . the following examples are provided to illustrate the invention , but are not intended to limit the invention . to a hot ( 70 ° c .) solution of 10 . 0 g ( 0 . 0336 mole ) of the known compound 4 &# 39 ;- amino - 3 , 5 - di - tertiary - butyl - 4 - hydroxybiphenyl in 100 ml of glyme was added 5 . 0 g ( 0 . 044 mole ) of glutaric anhydride . after stirring for one hour , the mixture was cooled and poured into water . the precipitate was separated by filtration and recrystallized from a chloroform - hexane mixture to provide tan needles of n -( 3 &# 39 ;, 5 &# 39 ;- di - tertiary - butyl - 4 &# 39 ;- hydroxy - 4 - biphenylyl ) glutaramic acid , m . p . 217 . 5 °- 219 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 25 h 33 no 4 : % c , 73 . 0 ; % h , 8 . 1 ; % n , 3 . 4 ; found : % c , 72 . 6 ; % h , 8 . 1 ; % n , 3 . 1 . a solution of 1 . 9 g ( 6 . 4 mmole ) of the known compound 2 &# 39 ;- amino - 3 , 5 - di - tertiary - butyl - 4 - hydroxybiphenyl , 0 . 8 g ( 7 . 0 mmole ) of glutaric anhydride and 50 ml of glyme was heated on a steam bath for three hours , then an additional 0 . 20 g of glutaric anhydride was added . the mixture was heated at reflux for six hours , then poured into water . the aqueous mixture was extracted with diethyl ether , and the ether extracts were then washed with 10 % hydrochloric acid and water . the ether solution was extracted with dilute sodium carbonate solution , and the aqueous extracts were acidified to about ph 1 with 10 % hydrochloric acid . an oil separated and crystallized after scratching to initiate crystal formation . recrystallization of the residue from aqueous ethanol provided tan crystals of n -( 3 &# 39 ;, 5 &# 39 ;- di - tertiary - butyl - 4 &# 39 ;- hydroxy - 2 - biphenylyl ) glutaramic acid , m . p . 132 °- 134 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 25 h 33 no 4 : % c , 73 . 0 ; % h , 8 . 1 ; % n , 3 . 4 ; found : % c , 73 . 0 ; % h , 8 . 0 ; % n , 3 . 3 . to a mixture of 16 . 7 g ( 0 . 050 mole ) of 4 &# 39 ;- amino - 3 ,- 5 - di - tertiary - butyl - 4 - hydroxybiphenyl hydrochloride and 7 . 0 g ( 0 . 060 mole ) of oxydiacetic anhydride in 200 ml of glyme was added 0 . 050 mole of triethylamine and the solution was warmed at 70 ° c . for one hour . the solution was cooled and a 50 : 50 mixture of dichloromethane and water was added . the organic layer was separated , washed with water twice and dried over magnesium sulfate . filtration and evaporation provided a residue which was triturated with hexane and chilled . the solid was separated by filtration . recrystallization from a mixture of chloroform and hexane gave a grey solid . the solid was dissolved in 23 ml of ethanol , the solution was filtered and 10 ml of water was added to the filtrate . the filtrate was cooled and the resulting precipitate was separated by filtration and dried to provide n -( 3 &# 39 ;, 5 &# 39 ;- di - tertiary - butyl - 4 &# 39 ;- hydroxy - 4 - biphenylyl ) diglycolamic acid , m . p . 183 °- 184 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 24 h 31 no 5 : % c , 69 . 7 ; % h , 7 . 5 ; % n , 3 . 4 ; found : % c , 69 . 9 ; % h , 7 . 6 ; % n , 3 . 1 . to a solution of 2 . 97 g ( 0 . 01 mole ) of 4 &# 39 ;- amino - 3 , 5 - di - t - butyl - 4 - hydroxy biphenyl in 200 ml of diethyl ester was added a solution of 1 . 48 g ( 0 . 01 mole ) of phthalic anhydride , and the resulting solution was stirred for about 16 hours . the solvents were removed under vacuum and the residual solid was recrystallized from a mixture of ethyl acetate and hexane to give 2 . 4 g of 2 -{ n -[ 4 -( 3 , 5 - di - t - butyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) phenyl ] carbamoyl } benzoic acid , m . p . 196 °- 198 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 28 h 31 no 4 : % c , 75 . 5 ; % h , 7 . 0 ; % n , 3 . 1 ; found : % c , 75 . 5 ; % h , 7 . 1 ; % n , 3 . 0 . to a solution of 2 . 97 g of 4 &# 39 ;- amino - 3 , 5 - di - t - butyl - 4 - hydroxybiphenyl in 200 ml of diethyl ether was added a solution of 1 . 54 g ( 0 . 01 mole ) of cis - 1 , 2 - cyclohexanedicarboxylic anhydride in 75 ml of diethyl ether , and the resulting solution was stirred for about 16 hours . a solid was removed by filtration , rinsed with diethyl ether and hexane and then recrystallized from a mixture of ethyl acetate and hexane to give 3 . 17 g of solid cis - 2 -{ n -[ 4 -( 3 , 5 - di - t - butyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) phenyl ] carbamyl }- cyclohexanecarboxylic acid , m . p . 217 °- 220 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 28 h 37 no 4 : % c , 74 . 5 ; % h , 8 . 3 ; % n , 3 . 1 ; found : % c , 74 . 6 ; % h , 8 . 3 ; % n , 3 . 0 .
novel compounds which are 2 , 6 - di - tertiary - butylphenols substituted in the 4 position by an acylaminophenyl group , which acylaminophenyl group is substituted by a moiety which includes a carboxyl group , are useful as inhibitors of leukotriene biosynthesis and as antiallergic agents .