A pharmaceutical composition comprising a pharmaceutical diluent and a compound of formula IV wherein R.sup.21=H, C.sub.1-C.sub.20 alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, aryl, arylalkyl, or alkylaryl, --CH.sub.2OR.sup.25, --C(O)R.sup.25, --CO(O)R.sup.25, --C(O)NR.sup.25R.sup.26, --CH.sub.2C(O)R.sup.25, or --CH.sup.2C(O)NHR.sub.25, where R.sub.25 and R.sub.26 are each independently H, C.sub.1-C.sub.10 alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, aryl, arylalkyl, or alkylaryl, optionally containing one or more halogen atoms. R.sup.22=--OH, --OR.sup.27, --OCH.sub.2C(O)R.sup.27, --OCH.sub.2C(O)NHR.sup.27, --OC(O)R.sup.27, --OC(O)OR.sup.27, --OC(O)NHNH--R.sup.5, or --OC(O)NR.sup.27R.sup.28, where R.sup.27 and R.sup.28 are each independently H, C.sub.1-C.sub.20 alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, aryl, arylalkyl, or alkylaryl, and where R.sup.27 and R.sup.28 can each optionally contain halogen atoms; R.sup.23 and R.sup.24, the same or different from each other, are C.sub.1-C.sub.20 alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, aryl, arylalkyl, or alkylaryl. Methods of using such formulations for the treatment of cancer, to effect weight loss, to treat microbially-based infections, to inhibit neuropeptide-Y and/or fatty acid synthase, and to stimulate CPT-1. ##STR00001##