Aromatic compounds, or prodrugs thereof, which contain an alkylating site and which are capable of alkylating the thiol group in N-acetyl-L-cysteine, in particular bis-aromatic .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated ketones, are used for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions or medicated feed, food or drinking water for the treatment or prophylaxis of diseases caused by microorganisms or parasites, in particular protozoa such as Leishmannia, Trypanosoma, Toxoplasma, Plasmodium, Pneumocystis, Babesia and Theileria, intestinal protozoa such as Trichormionas and Ciardia; Coccidia such as Eimeria, Isospora, Cryptosporidium; Cappilaria, Microsporidium, Sarcocystis. Trichlodina, Trichoditella, Dacihylogurus, Pseudodacthylogurus, Acantocephalus, Ichthylophtherius, Botrecephalus; and intracellular bacteria, in particular Mycobacterium, Legionella species, Listeria and Salmonella. Preferred compounds have the formula (II): X.sub.m --Ph--C(O)--CH.dbd.CH--Ph--Y.sub.n, wherein each phenyl group (Ph) may be mono- or polysubstituted; X and Y designate AR.sub.H or AZ, wherein A is O, S, NH or N(C.sub.1-6 alkyl), R.sub.H designates aliphatic hydrocarbyl, and Z is H or a masking group which is decomposed to liberate AH; m is 0, 1 or 2, and n is 0, 1, 2 or 3, whereby, when m is 2, then the two X are the same or different, and when n is 2 or 3, then the two or three Y are the same or different, with the proviso that n and m are not both 0. As examples of such compounds, chalcones, e.g. licochalcone A (obtainable i.a. from batches of Chinese licorice root of Glycyrrhiza species, e.g. G. uralensis or G. inflata) as well as hydroxy, alk(en)yl, and/or alk(en)yloxy analogues thereof are active in vitro and/or in vivo against i.a. L. major and P. falciparum.

A method of treating dyed hair to reduce the color loss caused by exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun by applying an effective amount of a hair treating formulation containing of an effective amount of a water insoluble benzophenone compound that combines readily with a hair substantive carrier composition.

The invention is drawn to novel bis-aromatic a,.beta.-unsaturated ketones. The compounds are useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of diseases caused by parasites or bacteria.

The present invention pertains to compounds of the following formula: (1) wherein: R.sup.ALK is primary or secondary aliphatic saturated C.sub.2-6alkyl; each of R.sup.B2, R.sup.B3, R.sup.B4, and R.sup.B5 is independently --H, --OH, or --OMe; each of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 is independently: --H, optionally substituted C.sub.1-4alkyl, or optionally substituted C.sub.5-20aryl; R.sup.A3 is --H, --OH, --OC(.dbd.O)R.sup.E, --OS(.dbd.O).sub.2OH, or --OP(.dbd.O)(OH).sub.2; R.sup.E is: --H, optionally substituted C.sub.1-6alkyl, optionally substituted C.sub.3-20heterocyclyl, or optionally substituted C.sub.5-20aryl; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, solvate, amide, ester, ether, chemically protected form, or prodrug thereof. The present invention also pertains to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds, and the use of such compounds and compositions, both in vitro and in vivo, for both diagnosis and treatment of, for example, proliferative conditions, such as cancer, and inflammatory conditions ##STR00001##

The present invention relates to methods for prevention or treating skin disorders using flavonoid compounds. The present invention also relates to methods for regulating skin condition.