Patent ID: 8629130

Claim:
A method of reducing cancer cell proliferation comprising contacting cancer cells with a compound of the formula I in an amount at least partially sufficient to reduce said proliferation wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 are independently selected from the group consisting of H, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, substituted alkyl, and halogen; X is selected from the group consisting of a halogen, a halogenated alkyl, a glucoronide, —NH 2 , —SO 2 NH 2 , —COOH, —CN, —CH 2 CN, —NHCN, —CHO, ═CHOCH 3 , —COOsalt, —OSO 2 alkyl, —SH, —SCH 3 , —CH(CH 2 ) n COOCH 3 , —(CH 2 ) n —O—CH 3 , —CH 2 OH, —(CH 2 ) n —O—NH 2 , —(CH 2 ) n —S—NH 2 , —NH(CH 2 ) n CH 3 , —NH (CH 2 ) n OCH 3 , —NH(CH 2 ) n CHOH—COOH, —N(CH 3 ) 2 , (CH 2 ) n (NH)CH 2 OH, —NHCOOH, —(CH 2 ) n NHCOOH, —NO 2 , —SCN, SO 2 alkyl, —B(OH) 2 , —(CH 2 ) n N(CH 3 )—SO 2 NH3, —(CH 2 ) n NH—SO 2 NH 2 , NHC(═S)CH 3 , and —NHNH 2 ; n is an integer from 1-7; R 6 is selected from a group consisting of H, a C 1 -C 6 alkyl, a C 1 -C 6 substituted alkyl, a sulfate, a glucoronide, a phenyl or a substituted phenyl group, a cyclo- or heterocyclo group, and R 7 is selected from the group consisting of H, a C 1 -C 6 alkyl, a C 1 -C 6 substituted alkyl, a halogen, a halogenated alkyl, a sulfate, a glucoronide, —SO 2 NH 2 , —COOH, —CN, —CHO, —COO salt and —NH 2 ; and wherein the symbol represents either a single or a double bond with the proviso that when the symbol is a double bond and forms a keto group at position 17, then no R 6 is present.