Patent ID: 7476661

Claim:
A method for regulating differentiation or proliferation of a cell, comprising administering to a patient a compound represented in the general formulas (I), or (V), or unsaturated forms thereof and/or seco-, nor- or homo-derivatives thereof: wherein, as valence and stability permit, R 2 and R 3 , independently for each occurrence, represent one or more substitutions to the ring to which each is attached, 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, sugar, carbamate, carbonate, or —(CH 2 ) m —R 8 ; R 4 , and R 5 , independently for each occurrence, are absent or represent one or more substitutions to the ring to which each is attached, 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, sugar, carbamate, carbonate, or —(CH 2 ) m —R 8 ; R 6 , R 7 , and R′ 7 , are absent or represent, independently, halogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, hydroxyl, ═O, ═S, alkoxyl, silyloxy, amino, nitro, thiol, amine, imine, amide, phosphoryl, phosphonate, phosphine, carbonyl, carboxyl, carboxamide, anhydride, silyl, ether, thioether, alkylsulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, selenoether, ketone, aldehyde, ester, or —(CH 2 ) m —R 8 , and either R 6 and R 7 , or R 7 and R′ 7 , taken together, form a substituted or unsubstituted ring or polycycle, which includes a tertiary amine in the atoms which make up the ring, wherein, the tertiary amine contained therein is substituted by an alkyl substituted with a group selected from aryl, aralkyl, heteroaryl, heteroaralkyl, amide, acylamino, carbonyl, ester, carbamate, urea, ketone, sulfonamide, carbocyclyl, heterocyclyl, polycyclyl, ether, halogen, alkenyl, and alkynyl; 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; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.