title: 6-Alkylandrosta-4,6-diene-3,17-diones and their 1,4,6-triene analogs as aromatase inhibitors. Structure-activity relationships.
abstract: Two series of 6-alkylandrosta-4,6-diene-3,17-diones (5) and their 1,4,6-triene analogs 6 were synthesized as aromatase inhibitors to gain insight into the structure-activity relationship between varying the 6-n-alkyl substituents (C1-C7) and inhibitory activity. All of the steroids synthesized were extremely powerful competitive inhibitors of aromatase in human placental microsomes, with apparent Ki values for the 6-alkyl-4,6-diene steroids 5 ranging from 17 to 36 nM and with those for the 1,4,6-triene steroids 6 ranging from 2.5 to 58 nM. The 6-ethyl-1,4,6-triene compound 6b (Ki = 2.5 nM) was the most potent inhibitor among them. The 6-alkyl-1,4,6-triene steroids 6, except for the 6-methyl analog 6a, and higher affinity for aromatase than the natural substrate androstenedione (K(m) = 24 nM), and their inhibitory activities were more potent than the corresponding 4,6-diene steroids 5. In a series of the 4,6-diene steroids 5, compounds 5c-f with the n-alkyl chain substituents (C3 to C6) also had slightly higher affinity than androstenedione for dromatase. All of the 1,4,6-triene steroids 6 inactivated aromatase in a time-dependent manner, with k(inact) values ranging from 0.021 to 0.074 min-1; in contrast, the 4,6-diene analogs 5 did not. The inactivation was prevented by androstenedione, and no significant effect of L-cysteine on the inactivation was observed in each case. These results indicate that the length of the n-alkyl substituent at C-6 of androsta-1,4,6-triene-3,17-dione (6h), rather than its 4,6-diene analog 5h, plays a critical role in tight binding to the active site of aromatase. No significant correlation was observed between affinity for the enzyme and the inactivation ability of the 6-alkyl-1,4,6-trienes.
authors.affiliation: Tohoku College of Pharmacy, Aobaku, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Numazawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oshibe
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
mesh_terms: D000733:Androstatrienes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008861:Microsomes / Q000201:enzymology; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010920:Placenta / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: C109613:6-ethylandrosta-1,4,6-triene-3,17-dione; D000733:Androstatrienes; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors