Antimitotic eleuthesides

A compound or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein the compound is of formula I or II:

• wherein, Me is methyl;
• R1, R2 and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of:
• H and C1–C6 acyl;
• R4 is selected from the group consisting of:
• H,Me and a substituted or unsubstituted straight-chain, branched, or cyclic C1–C10 alkyl;
• and, X is selected from the group consisting of:
• —CH2OR, —COR, —COY, —C(OR)R, —CRCR2, and, —CH2W;
• R is selected from the group consisting of:
• H;
• a linear, branched, or cyclic, saturated or unsaturated alkyl group containing one to ten carbons optionally substituted with Z;
• an aromatic group optionally substituted with Z;
• and, arylalkyl (ArR*) in which an alkyl group (R*) is a linear, branched, or cyclic, and saturated or unsaturated containing one to ten carbons a optionally substituted with Z and an aryl group (Ar) optionally substituted with Z;
• Z is selected from the group consisting of:
• —OH, —OR, —O2CR, —SH, —SR, —SOCR, —NH2, —NHR, —NHR2, —NHCOR, —NRCOR, —I, —Br, —Cl, —F, —CN, —CO2H, —CO2R, —CHO, —COR, —CONH2, —CONHR, —CONR2, —COSH, —COSR, —NO2, —SO3H, —SOR, and —SO2R;
• Y is selected from the group consisting of:
• —OH, —NH2, —NHR, —NR2, —SH, —SR and —OR;
• W is selected from the group consisting of:
• R, F, Cl, Br, I, 13 OSO3R, —SO3R, —OPO3R2, —PO3R2, —SR, —SOR, —SO2R, —NR2, —NOR, and —NR3+;
• with each R being the same or different, and wherein for R* and for R when comprising an alkyl, —CH2— may be replaced by —O2S or NR and CH may be replaced by N;
• and wherein W=R, R cannot be methyl or ethyl.