title: Steroids and hematopoiesis. I. The effect of steroids on in vitro erythroid colony growth: structure/activity relationships.
abstract: When substituted steroids of several classes are added to cultures of rat bone marrow cells in the presence of erythropoietin a consistent enhancement of the number of colonies of hemoglobin synthesizing cells is obtained. Maximum steroid effectiveness was found to be between 10(-6) and 10(-7) M. Representative compounds of several classes of steroids were examined for their ability to enhance colony growth, including delta 4-estrenes, delta 4-androstenes, 5alpha-H androstanes and estranes, 5beta-H estranes, pregnanes and androstanes. While testosterone and its 5alpha-H derivatives had little or no activity, many synthetic derivatives of testosterone were highly active in increasing erythroid colony growth. All 5beta-H androstanes, estranes, and all but one 5beta-H pregnane were active. Cortisol consistently inhibited colony growth and estradiol and progesterone had no significant effect.
mesh_terms: D000731:Androstanes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000736:Androstenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004920:Erythropoiesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004962:Estranes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004963:Estrenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008777:Methyltestosterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D011278:Pregnanes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013739:Testosterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000731:Androstanes; D000736:Androstenes; D004962:Estranes; D004963:Estrenes; D011278:Pregnanes; D004921:Erythropoietin; D013739:Testosterone; D011374:Progesterone; D008777:Methyltestosterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone