Macrocyclic diterpenes for the treatment and prophylaxis of acne vulgaris

1. A method for the treatment of a subject with acne vulgaris , said method comprising administering to said subject a symptom-ameliorating effective amount of a chemical agent, which chemical agent is an ingenane having the formula of formulae VI:

wherein:

R 24 , R 25 and R 26 are independently selected from hydrogen, hydroxy, OR 27 and X(C═X)R 29 where X is oxygen;

each R 27 is independently selected from branched or straight chained C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 20 arylalkyl, C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl, C 6 -C 14 aryl, branched or straight chained C 2 -C 10 alkenyl, branched or straight chained C 2 -C 10 alkynyl, C 1 -C 10 alkoxyalkyl, C 1 -C 10 haloalkyl, dihaloalkyl, trihaloalkyl, haloalkoxy, and C 1 -C 10 alkyl which is substituted by CN;

and each R 29 is independently R 27 .

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein R 24 is H.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein R 24 is O-Acetyl.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein R 24 is OH.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein R 25 and R 26 are OH.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said chemical agent is 20-O-acetyl-ingenol-3-angelate or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said chemical agent is ingenol-3-angelate, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein said chemical agent is 20 deoxy-ingenol-3-angelate or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein said subject is human.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein both R 24 and R 25 are OH.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the chemical agent is obtained from a species of Euphorbia.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the species of Euphorbia is selected from Euphorbia aaron - rossii, Euphorbia abbreviata, Euphorbia acuta, Euphorbia alatocaulis, Euphorbia albicaulis, Euphorbia algomarginata, Euphorbia aliceae, Euphorbia alta, Euphorbia anacampseros, Euphorbia andromedae, Euphorbia angusta, Euphorbia anthonyi, Euphorbia antiguensis, Euphorbia apocynifolia, Euphorbia arabica, Euphorbia ariensis, Euphorbia arizonica, Euphorbia arkansana, Euphorbia arteagae, Euphorbia arundelana, Euphorbia astroites, Euphorbia atrococca, Euphorbia baselicis, Euphorbia batabanensis, Euphorbia bergeri, Euphorbia bermudiana, Euphorbia bicolor, Euphorbia biformis, Euphorbia bifurcata, Euphorbia bilobata, Euphorbia biramensis, Euphorbia biuncialis, Euphorbia blepharostipula, Euphorbia blodgetti, Euphorbia boerhaavioides, Euphorbia boliviana, Euphorbia bracei, Euphorbia brachiata, Euphorbia brachycera, Euphorbia brandegee, Euphorbia brittonii, Euphorbia caesia, Euphorbia calcicola, Euphorbia campestris, Euphorbia candelabrum, Euphorbia capitellata, Euphorbia carmenensis, Euphorbia carunculata, Euphorbia cayensis, Euphorbia celastroides, Euphorbia chalicophila, Euphorbia chamaerrhodos, Euphorbia chamaesula, Euphorbia chiapensis, Euphorbia chiogenoides, Euphorbia cinerascens, Euphorbia clarionensis, Euphorbia colimae, Euphorbia colorata, Euphorbia commutata, Euphorbia consoquitlae, Euphorbia convolvuloides, Euphorbia corallifera, Euphorbia creberrima, Euphorbia crenulata, Euphorbia cubensis, Euphorbia cuspidata, Euphorbia cymbiformis, Euphorbia darlingtonii, Euphorbia defoliata, Euphorbia degeneri, Euphorbia deltoidea, Euphorbia dentata, Euphorbia depressa Euphorbia dictyosperma, Euphorbia dictyosperma, Euphorbia dioeca, Euphorbia discoidalis, Euphorbia dorsiventralis, Euphorbia drumondii, Euphorbia duclouxii, Euphorbia dussii, Euphorbia eanophylla, Euphorbia eggersii, Euphorbia eglandulosa, Euphorbia elata, Euphorbia enalla, Euphorbia eriogonoides, Euphorbia eriophylla, Euphorbia esculaeformis, Euphorbia espirituensis, Euphorbia esula, Euphorbia excisa, Euphorbia exclusa, Euphorbia exstipitata, Euphorbia exstipulata, Euphorbia fendleri, Euphorbia filicaulis, Euphorbia filiformis, Euphorbia florida, Euphorbia fruticulosa, Euphorbia garber, Euphorbia gaumerii, Euphorbia gerardiana, Euphorbia geyeri, Euphorbia glyptosperma, Euphorbia gorgonis, Euphorbia gracilior, Euphorbia gracillima, Euphorbia gradyi, Euphorbia graminea, Euphorbia graminiea Euphorbia grisea, Euphorbia guadalajarana, Euphorbia guanarensis, Euphorbia gymnadenia, Euphorbia haematantha, Euphorbia hedyotoides, Euphorbia heldrichii, Euphorbia helenae, Euphorbia helleri, Euphorbia helwigii, Euphorbia henricksonii, Euphorbia heterophylla, Euphorbia hexagona, Euphorbia hexagonoides, Euphorbia hinkleyorum, Euphorbia hintonii, Euphorbia hirtula, Euphorbia hirta, Euphorbia hooveri, Euphorbia humistrata, Euphorbia hypericifolia, Euphorbia inundata, Euphorbia involuta, Euphorbia jaliscensis, Euphorbia jejuna, Euphorbia johnston, Euphorbia juttae, Euphorbia knuthii, Euphorbia lasiocarpa, Euphorbia lata, Euphorbia latazi, Euphorbia latericolor, Euphorbia laxiflora Euphorbia lecheoides, Euphorbia ledienii, Euphorbia leucophylla, Euphorbia lineata, Euphorbia linguiformis, Euphorbia longecornuta, Euphorbia longepetiolata, Euphorbia longeramosa, Euphorbia longinsulicola, Euphorbia longipila, Euphorbia lupulina, Euphorbia lurida, Euphorbia lycioides, Euphorbia macropodoides, macvaughiana, Euphorbia manca, Euphorbia mandoniana, Euphorbia mangleti, Euphorbia mango, Euphorbia marylandica, Euphorbia mayana, Euphorbia melanadenia, Euphorbia melanocarpa, Euphorbia meridensis, Euphorbia mertonii, Euphorbia mexiae, Euphorbia microcephala, Euphorbia microclada, Euphorbia micromera, Euphorbia misella, Euphorbia missurica, Euphorbia montana, Euphorbia montereyana, Euphorbia multicaulis, Euphorbia multiformis, Euphorbia multinodis, Euphorbia multiseta, Euphorbia muscicola, Euphorbia neomexicana, Euphorbia nephradenia, Euphorbia niqueroana, Euphorbia oaxacana, Euphorbia occidentalis, Euphorbia odontodenia, Euphorbia olivacea, Euphorbia olowaluana, Euphorbia opthalmica, Euphorbia ovata, Euphorbia pachypoda, Euphorbia pachyrhiza, Euphorbia padifolia, Euphorbia palmeri, Euphorbia paludicola, Euphorbia parciflora, Euphorbia parishii, Euphorbia parryi, Euphorbia paxiana, Euphorbia pediculifera, Euphorbia peplidion, Euphorbia peploides, Euphorbia peplus, Euphorbia pergamena, Euphorbia perlignea, Euphorbia petaloidea, Euphorbia petaloidea, Euphorbia petrina, Euphorbia picachensis, Euphorbia pilosula, Euphorbia pilulifera, Euphorbia pinariona, Euphorbia pinetorum, Euphorbia pionosperma, Euphorbia platysperma, Euphorbia plicata, Euphorbia poeppigii, Euphorbia poliosperma, Euphorbia polycarpa, Euphorbia polycnemoides, Euphorbia polyphylla, Euphorbia portoricensis, Euphorbia portulacoides Euphorbia portulana, Euphorbia preslii, Euphorbia prostrata, Euphorbia pteroneura, Euphorbia pycnanthema, Euphorbia ramosa, Euphorbia rapulum, Euphorbia remyi, Euphorbia retroscabra, Euphorbia revoluta, Euphorbia rivularis, Euphorbia robusta, Euphorbia romosa, Euphorbia rubida, Euphorbia rubrosperma, Euphorbia rupicola, Euphorbia sanmartensis, Euphorbia saxatilis M. Bieb, Euphorbia schizoloba, Euphorbia scierocyathium, Euphorbia scopulorum, Euphorbia senilis, Euphorbia serpyllifolia, Euphorbia serrula, Euphorbia setiloba Engelm, Euphorbia sonorae, Euphorbia soobyi, Euphorbia sparsiflora, Euphorbia sphaerosperma, Euphorbia syphilitica, Euphorbia spruceana, Euphorbia subcoerulea, Euphorbia stellata, Euphorbia submammilaris, Euphorbia subpeltata, Euphorbia subpubens, Euphorbia subreniforme, Euphorbia subtrifoliata, Euphorbia succedanea, Euphorbia tamaulipasana, Euphorbia telephioides, Euphorbia tenuissima, Euphorbia tetrapora, Euphorbia tirucalli, Euphorbia tomentella, Euphorbia tomentosa, Euphorbia torralbasii, Euphorbia tovariensis, Euphorbia trachysperma, Euphorbia tricolor, Euphorbia troyana, Euphorbia tuerckheimii, Euphorbia turczaninowii, Euphorbia umbellulata, Euphorbia undulata, Euphorbia vermiformis, Euphorbia versicolor, Euphorbia villifera, Euphorbia violacea, Euphorbia whitei, Euphorbia xanti Engelm, Euphorbia xylopoda Greenm., Euphorbia yayalesia Urb., Euphorbia yungasensis, Euphorbia zeravschanica and Euphorbia zinniiflora.

13. The method according to claim 11 wherein the species of Euphorbia is Euphorbia peplus.