MTD calculations on quantitative structure-activity relationships of steroids binding to the progesterone receptor

Application of (quantitative) structure-activity relationships to progestagens: from serendipity to structure-based design

Progestagens are drugs, which are widely used in hormonal contraception and in hormone-replacement therapy. Since the natural hormone, progesterone, lacks oral activity, much effort has been devoted to finding analogues with improved oral activity and, preferably, higher potency and selectivity. A crystal structure of the hormone binding domain (HBD) region of the progesterone receptor (PR) could only be obtained recently. For more than forty years the process of designing new progestagens could therefore only be guided by the knowledge of the structure of the ligand and its corresponding in vitro/in vivo activities. While in early days chemical intuition and simple statistics (structure-activity relationship - SAR) were leading the drug design process, in later days more complex statistics and visualization tools have become routinely part of quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) studies. The present review aims to provide a general overview of the strategies, efforts and achievements of synthetic and computational chemists in more than forty years of development of progestagens.

Nitrile hydratase from Rhodococcus erythropolis: metabolization of steroidal compounds with a nitrile group

The progestin dienogest (17alpha-cyanomethyl-17beta-hydroxy-estra-4,9-dien-3-one) was metabolized by the nitrile hydratase-containing microorganism Rhodococcus erythropolis. An enzymatic hydrolysis of the nitrile group at the 17alpha-side chain was intended to obtain novel derivatives and to test them for progesterone receptor affinity. In contrast to the rapid enzymatic hydrolysis of nonsteroidal nitriles, the nitrile group of dienogest was cleaved very slowly. The dominant reaction was an aromatization of ring A. After prolonged fermentation, the 17alpha-acetamido derivatives of estradiol and of 9(11)-dehydroestradiol were formed. Three of the metabolites were also prepared synthetically. They were tested for hormonal activity by assessing their binding to progesterone and estrogen receptors in vitro. Neither the aromatized 17alpha-acetamido derivatives nor the dienogest derivative 17alpha-acetamido-17beta-hydroxy-estra-4,9-dien-3-one, which was prepared synthetically only, exhibited affinity for the progesterone receptor.

Molecular mechanics and X-ray crystal structure investigations on conformations of 11 beta substituted 4,9-dien-3-one steroids

The influence of 11 beta-phenyl substitution upon 4,9-dien-3-one steroid-backbone conformations is calculated by means of the MM2p molecular mechanics scheme. In the case of steroids having a 13 beta configuration, the lowest strain energy is always evaluated for the conformational combination of rings A(inverted) B(normal) while, moreover, the 11 beta substitution increases the relative stability of the conformation A(normal) B(normal) compared to the nonsubstituted compound. Introduction of the 11 beta substituent causes some bowing of the energy-minimum structures in the A-ring region toward the beta side. For 13 alpha configurated steroids, the ring conformations A(inverted) B(normal) C(boat) and A(normal) B(inverted) C(twist/boat) are found to be energetically preferred. Quantitative description of different ring conformations using asymmetry and pseudorotational parameters as well as the comparison of molecular mechanics and available X-ray structure data give an impression of the conformational mobility. Whereas the effect of 11 beta substitution within a given ring conformation is limited, contributions to molecular flexibility can be found in the ability to adopt different basic conformations and in the occupation of near-minimum structures. An X-ray crystal structure analysis of a potential antiprogestational steroid has been performed, and the results are in good agreement with the calculated structure.

11 beta-substituted steroids, an original pathway to antihormones

11 beta-substituted steroids form a novel class of derivative for the study of ligand-receptor interactions. The present review describes the synthetic pathways leading to 11 beta-substituted norsteroids and the kinetics and specificity of their interaction with receptors of several hormone classes as determined in a routine screening programme. The biochemical data on the interaction of one of these compounds, RU 38486, a potent antihormone presently in clinical development, with the progestin (PR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors are briefly reviewed. The comparison of the 3D-structures of these antagonists with those of potent hormones can help to map the interaction sites with PR and GR and highlights the potential use of these molecules as labelling agents and molecular probes.