Recent patents on new steroid agents targeting the steroidogenesis for endocrine cancer treatments

Donald Poirier, Poirier D
Recent patents on endocrine, metabolic & immune drug discovery · 2015 · vol. 9(1) , pp. 15–23 · doi:10.2174/1872214809666150201214602 · PMID:25643356
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This review highlights recent patents on steroid compounds inhibiting key steroidogenesis enzymes, which may treat hormone-dependent diseases including endometriosis by reducing androgen or estrogen concentrations.

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This review examines recent patents and patent applications for small molecule inhibitors targeting key enzymes in steroidogenesis, including aromatase and 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase. The authors highlight that these compounds aim to reduce androgen or estrogen concentrations by blocking their biosynthesis, thereby offering therapeutic potential for hormone-dependent diseases. While the primary focus of the reviewed technologies is on treating prostate and breast cancer, the text explicitly identifies endometriosis as one of the conditions that could benefit from such hormonal suppression strategies. Relevance to endometriosis: listed as one indication for steroidogenesis inhibitors, though the paper's main focus is broader endocrine cancer treatments.

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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.
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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.

Keywords

Androgen, cancer, endocrine therapy, enzyme, estrogen, steroid. 51

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal Gonadal Hormones Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent Patents as Topic Patents as Topic Steroid Synthesis Inhibitors 5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors 5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors 5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors Androgen Antagonists Androgen Antagonists Androgen Antagonists Animals Animals Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal Aromatase Inhibitors Aromatase Inhibitors Aromatase Inhibitors

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europepmc
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