title: Recent patents on new steroid agents targeting the steroidogenesis for endocrine cancer treatments.
abstract: Cancer is a leading cause of death in the population and despite the significant technological advances that have been made over the last years, there is a great need for new and better treatments with fewer side effects. Among the various types, hormone-dependent cancers are stimulated by the presence of certain steroidal hormones such as androgens and estrogens, which act through a nuclear receptor. The use of small molecules to block the biosynthesis (steroidogenesis) or the action of hormones (androgens or estrogens) is a therapeutic approach that has yielded interesting results and whose development continues. This review article emphasizes the patents and patent applications published over the last five years. It deals exclusively with steroid compounds developed as inhibitors of key enzymes (17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase, steroid sulfatase, 5α-reductases, aromatase and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases) involved in the steroidogenesis and identified as therapeutic targets. Such inhibitors could be used as a drug to reduce the concentration of androgens or estrogens and, consequently, for treating hormone-dependent diseases such as prostate cancer, breast cancer and endometriosis.
authors: Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, CHU de Quebec - Research Center (CHUL, T4-42), 2705 Laurier Boulevard, Quebec (Quebec), G1V 4G2, Canada. donald.poirier@crchul.ulaval.ca.
authors: Donald
authors: D
authors: Poirier
mesh_terms: D058891:5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015195:Drug Design; D042341:Gonadal Hormones / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D009376:Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010330:Patents as Topic; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D065088:Steroid Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D058891:5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors; D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D042341:Gonadal Hormones; D065088:Steroid Synthesis Inhibitors