Abstract: Compounds represented by the formulae: wherein R is individually selected from the group consisting of H, aliphatic acyl, aromatic acyl group, fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, alkoxy, alkyl, haloalkyl, alkenyl, haloalkenyl, alkynyl, amino, monoalkylamino, dialkylamino, cyano, aryl and nitro; pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, prodrugs thereof, solvates thereof and mixtures thereof; are used as inhibitors of DNA methyltransferase and for treating patients suffering from diseases resulting from or related to aberrant DNA methylation such as myelodysplastic syndromes and other cancers.