[Synthesis and binding affinity of 3-aryl-7-hydroxycoumarins to human alpha and beta estrogen receptors]. / Synthèse et affinité de liaison de 3-aryl-7-hydroxycoumarines aux récepteurs des estrogènes alpha et B humains.

The synthesis of a set of substituted 3-aryl-7-hydroxycoumarins was performed. The study of the relations between their structure and their relative binding affinity (RBA) to human alpha and B estrogen receptors was achieved.

Biphenyls as surrogates of the steroidal backbone. Part 1: synthesis and estrogen receptor affinity of an original series of polysubstituted biphenyls.

In the course of a programme aimed at discovering new ligands of the estrogen receptor, we explored a series of substituted biphenyls. Their synthesis and binding affinity are described.

Pharmacological profile of RU 58642, a potent systemic antiandrogen for the treatment of androgen-dependent disorders.

The pharmacological profile of RU 58642, a new non-steroidal antiandrogen was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, the compound displays a strong and specific affinity for androgen receptor. In vivo, its antiandrogenic activity was evaluated in castrated rat supplemented with testosterone propionate and in intact animals on prostate, seminal vesicles weight and serum levels of testosterone by oral and subcutaneous route. In castrated rats RU 58642 induced a significant decrease in prostate weight at a dose as low as 0.3 mg/kg whatever the route of administration. In intact rats its activity was compared to that of other non-steroidal antiandrogens such as flutamide, nilutamide and bicalutamide. RU 58642 proved to be significantly more potent than the reference compounds in reducing prostate weight: 3-30 times orally and 3-100 times subcutaneously, and thus the most potent antiandrogen to date to our knowledge. These results suggest that this compound may be very useful in the treatment of systemic androgen-dependent diseases.

Non-steroidal antiandrogens: synthesis and biological profile of high-affinity ligands for the androgen receptor.

New N-substituted arylthiohydantoin antiandrogens were synthesized. These compounds presented exceptionally high relative binding affinities (RBAs) for the rat androgen receptor (AR): up to 3 times that of testosterone (T) and 100 times the RBAs of non-steroidal antiandrogens such as flutamide, Casodex and Anandron. Furthermore, unlike available markers for AR, they were totally devoid of any binding to the other steroid receptors. RU 59063, the molecule with the highest RBA, was tritiated. When it was compared to [3H]T for the assay of rat, mouse, hamster and human AR, it gave rise to the same number of binding sites but its K alpha (6 x 10(9) M-1) for rat and human AR were, respectively 3 and 8 times higher than that of T. Moreover RU 59063, unlike T, was devoid of any specific binding to human plasma. In vivo, these compounds displayed antiandrogenic activity while being devoid of any agonistic effect. Thus, RU 56187, given orally in castrated male animals, prevented in a dose-dependent manner the effects of 3 mg/kg testosterone propionate (TP) on mouse renal ornithine decarboxylase (acute test) and of 0.5 mg/kg TP on rat prostate weight (chronic test). In these two models, its ED50 was 0.6 and 1 mg/kg, respectively. In the intact rat, when given alone, it inhibited dose-dependently the effect of endogenous androgens on the seminal vesicles (ED50 approximately 1 mg/kg) and prostate (ED50 approximately 3 mg/kg) weights. These results suggest that these new compounds may be useful as specific markers for the androgen receptor as well as for the treatment of androgen-dependent diseases or disorders such as prostate cancer, acne, hirsutism and male pattern baldness.

Synthesis of a fluorescent steroid derivative with high affinities for the glucocorticoid and progesterone receptors.

The synthesis of RU 45196, an 11 beta-substituted 19-norsteroid of the estra-4,9-diene series, incorporating the nitrobenzoxadiazole (NBD) fluorophore, is reported. The highly fluorescent target compound displayed remarkable affinity for both the progesterone and glucocorticoid receptors. The present work demonstrates for the first time that it is indeed possible to design fluorescent steroid conjugates which maintain very high affinities for their cognate receptors and which are potentially useful for mechanistic and diagnostic purposes.

[Pharmacologic study of the glucocorticoid activity of flunisolide compared with other steroids in the rat]. / Etude pharmacologique de l'activité glucocorticoïde du flunisolide comparativement à d'autres stéroïdes chez le rat.

Flunisolide (FLU), beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) and its pulmonary metabolites beclomethasone monopropionate (BMP) and beclomethasone (B) were studied in rat for: their relative binding affinity (RBA) for the 5 classes of steroid receptors, their in vitro glucocorticoid activity on rat thymocytes, their in vivo glucocorticoid activity by oral route. These compounds displayed a strong RBA for rat lung, thymus and liver glucocorticoid receptors (FLU > or = BMP > BDP > or = B). They were also shown to have a moderate RBA for both mineralocorticoid and progestin receptors, while being devoid of any binding to androgen and oestrogen receptors. On rat thymocytes FLU exhibited the highest glucocorticoid activity (FLU > B > or = BMP > BDP). In rat oral FLU displayed a strong glucocorticoid activity with a slight first-pass metabolism as opposed to what has been reported in human.