Patent ID: 8772252

Claim:
A method for inhibiting melanogenesis or a method for promoting skin lightening in a mammal in need thereof, comprising administering to the mammal an effective amount of either lonchocarpic acid or a compound of formula I: wherein R 3 is selected from the group consisting of halo, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl, unsubstituted phenyl, 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl, 4-methoxyphenyl, 3,4-dimethoxyphenyl, and substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl; R 4 is selected from the group consisting of H, halo, hydroxy, alkoxy, alkenyloxy, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl, and substituted or unsubstituted phenyl; each R 5 , R 6 , and R 8 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, halo, hydroxy, alkoxy, alkenyloxy, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl, and substituted or unsubstituted phenyl; R 7 is selected from the group consisting of H, halo, hydroxy, alkoxy, alkenyloxy, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl, and heterocycloalkyl; or R 7 is —P(═O)(alkoxy) 2 , or —P(═S)(alkoxy) 2 ; or R 6 and R 7 or R 7 and R 8 are joined to form a 5- or 6-membered heterocycloalkyl or heterocycloalkenyl; and the heterocycloalkyl or heterocycloalkenyl is unsubstituted or substituted with one or more groups selected from the group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, hydroxyalkyl, acyloxyalkyl, hydroxy, and alkoxy; and provided that the compound is other than robustic acid; or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates, isomers, tautomers, metabolites, analogs, isotopic variants or prodrugs thereof.