Patent ID: 7291626

Claim:
A method for inhibiting mitotic cell proliferation in an animal, wherein the mitotic cell proliferation is associated with a cancer, comprising administering to the animal a purified compound represented in the general formula (I), or unsaturated forms thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof: wherein, as valence permits, R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , and R 5 independently for each occurrence, represent one or more substituents selected from hydrogen, halogens, alkyls, alkenyls, alkynyls, aryls, hydroxyl, ═O, ═S, alkoxyl, silyloxy, amino, nitro, thiol, amines, imines, amides, phosphoryls, phosphonates, phosphines, carbonyls, carboxyls, carboxamides, anhydrides, silyls, ethers, thioethers, alkylsulfonyls, arylsulfonyls, selenoethers, ketones, aldehydes, esters, or —(CH 2 ) m —R 8 ; R 6 is absent or is selected from halogens, alkyls, alkenyls, alkynyls, aryls, hydroxyl, ═O, ═S, alkoxyl, silyloxy, amino, nitro, thiol, amines, imines, amides, phosphoryls, phosphonates, phosphines, carbonyls, carboxyls, carboxamides, anhydrides, silyls, ethers, thioethers, alkylsulfonyls, arylsulfonyls, selenoethers, ketones, aldehydes, esters, or —(CH 2 ) m —R 8 ; R 7 and R′ 7 , taken together with the carbon atom to which they are attached, form a furo[3,2-b]piperidine ring system, wherein the carbon atom to which R 7 and R′ 7 are attached is the carbon atom at the 2-position of the furo[3,2-b]piperidine ring system; R 8 represents an aryl, a cycloalkyl, a cycloalkenyl, a heterocycle, or a polycycle; and m is an integer in the range 0 to 8 inclusive.