Patent ID: 6956056

Claim:
A method for the treatment of constipation or for cleansing the gastrointestinal tract, which comprises administering to the patient a cathartic-inducing effective amount of a halogenated bioactive lipid compound represented by the formula (II): wherein L, M and N are hydrogen, hydroxy, halogen, lower alkyl, hydroxy(lower)alkyl or oxo, wherein at least one of L and M is a group other than hydrogen, and the five-membered ring may have at least one double bond; A is —CH 2 —OH, —COCH 2 OH, —COOH or a salt, an ether, an ester or an amide thereof; B is —CH 2 —CH 2 —, —CH═CH— or —C≡C—; Z is wherein R 4 and R 5 are hydrogen, hydroxy, halogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy or hydroxy(lower)alkyl, wherein R 4 and R 5 are not hydroxy and lower alkoxy at the same time; R 1 is a saturated or unsaturated bivalent lower or medium aliphatic hydrocarbon residue, which is unsubstituted or substituted with halogen, alkyl, hydroxy, oxo, aryl or heterocyclic group and at least one of carbon atoms in the aliphatic hydrocarbon is optionally substituted by oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur; X 1 and X 2 are hydrogen, lower alkyl or halogen, and at least one of them is halogen; and Ra is a saturated or unsaturated lower or medium aliphatic hydrocarbon residue, which is unsubstituted or substituted with halogen, oxo, hydroxy, lower alkoxy, lower alkanoyloxy, cyclo(lower)alkyl, cyclo(lower)alkyloxy, aryl, aryloxy, heterocyclic or heterocyclic-oxy group; cyclo(lower)alkyl; cyclo(lower)alkyloxy; aryl; aryloxy; heterocyclic or heterocyclic-oxy group.