Patent ID: 6867216

Claim:
A method for inhibiting unwanted hair growth or inhibiting spermatogenesis, comprising administering to the patient a composition comprising a purified steroidal alkaloid represented in the general formula (IV), or unsaturated forms thereof, and/or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein 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 represents 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 8 represents an aryl, a cycloalkyl, a cycloalkenyl, a heterocycle, or a polycycle; R 9 represents one or more substitutions to the ring A or B, which for each occurrence, independently represent 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 22 is absent or represents an alkyl, an alkoxyl or —OH; and m is an integer in the range 0 to 8 inclusive.