The present disclosure provides methods of preparing cholic acid, deoxycholic acid, or chenodeoxycholic acid, an ester thereof, or a pharmaceutically or cosmetically acceptable salt thereof, and novel and useful synthetic intermediates, for example, as described for methods 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 3, 3A, and 4. The method can start with a plant derived steroid as a starting material, such as dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) or Acetyl-dehydroepiandrosterone (Ac-DHEA). Also provided are pharmaceutical or cosmetic compositions and uses thereof, which comprise one or more of cholic acid, deoxycholic acid, or chenodeoxycholic acid, an ester thereof, or a pharmaceutically or cosmetically acceptable salt thereof, which is of high purity, for example, free of animal derived impurities.

Compounds of Formula (I) or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof are provided and methods involving compounds of Formula (I) as effective inhibitors of CDK8 and/or CDK19 are also provided.

A polysubstituted benzene compound, preparation method thereof, and method of using the same. The compound has a formula I or I, where X represents carbon, sulfur, or oxygen; R.sup.1 represents a C.sub.1-16 alkyl, C.sub.2-16 alkenyl, or C.sub.2-10 alkynyl; R.sup.2 represents hydrogen, halogen, C.sub.1-16 alkyl, C.sub.2-16 alkenyl, or C.sub.2-10 alkynyl; or an aryl group or a substituted aryl group by 1-5 groups selected from halogen, C.sub.1-26 alkyl, C.sub.1-3 halogenated alkyl, OC.sub.1-3 alkyl, hydroxyl, amino, nitro, cyano group, aldehyde group and ester group; or a heteroaryl group or a substituted heteroaryl group by 1-5 groups selected from halogen, C.sub.1-26 alkyl, C.sub.1-3 halogenated alkyl, OC.sub.1-3 alkyl, hydroxyl, amino, nitro, cyano group, aldehyde group and ester group; the heteroaryl group is a 3-10-membered heteroaryl group including N, S, O, or a combination thereof.

Synthetic methods for preparing deoxycholic acid and intermediates thereof are provided.

Provided are a novel internal standard useful in the measurement of androgens, a method capable of measuring the androgen in a highly selective and highly sensitive (accurate) manner using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry with simplified pretreatments, and a method for diagnosis of a disease using the androgen measurement method. The novel stable isotope-labeled compound is synthesized by performing reduction reaction in a specific solvent. An androgen is measured using this novel stable isotope-labeled compound as an IS.

Described herein are steroids of Formula (I): ##STR00001##
and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof; wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2a, R.sup.2b, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5a, R.sup.5b, R.sup.6, and Z are as defined herein. Such compounds are contemplated useful for the prevention and treatment of a variety of CNS-related conditions, for example, treatment of sleep disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, convulsive disorders, disorders of memory and/or cognition, movement disorders, personality disorders, autism spectrum disorders, pain, traumatic brain injury, vascular diseases, substance abuse disorders and/or withdrawal syndromes, and tinnitus.

Unusual and unexpectedly stable aqueous suspension formulation and water dispersible dry composition of Formula I compounds. It causes little or no injection site irritation and has superior properties over non-aqueous formulations. It stimulates autophagy, enhance innate immunity, down-regulates unproductive inflammation and exerts a Th1 immune bias. It demonstrates better efficacy in both in vitro and in vivo models.

##STR00001##

Methods of halogenating a carbon containing compound having an sp3 CH bond are provided. Methods of fluorinating a carbon containing compound comprising halogenation with Cl or Br followed by nucleophilic substitution with F are provided. Methods of direct oxidative CH fluorination of a carbon containing compound having an sp3 CH bond are provided. The halogenated products of the methods are provided.

The present disclosure provides for a synthetic strategy to incorporate a C12-hydroxy group from the methylene (CH2-) in a steroid backbone, combining synthetic chemistry and enzymology techniques to develop a selective inhibitor for cytochrome P450 8B1, and developing a selective P450 8B1 inhibitor, which can be used as a tool to study P450 8B1 and treat health issues.

Synthetic methods for preparing deoxycholic acid and intermediates thereof are provided.