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Aromatase inhibitors improve relapse-free survival in early breast cancer, but there is concern about possible detrimental effects on bone mineral density (BMD) and plasma lipids. This paper presents the results of a 2-year study evaluating the effects of exemestane versus placebo on BMD, bone markers, plasma lipids and coagulation factors, including a 1-year follow-up after termination of treatment in 147 patients. During treatment, the mean annual rate of loss of BMD in the lumbar spine was 2.17% in the exemestane group versus 1.84% in the placebo group (n.s.) and 2.72% versus 1.48%, respectively, in the femoral neck (P=0.024). A loss of BMD above that expected in both arms of this study could be due to low vitamin D status (88% of all patients had vitamin D levels <30 ng/ml). The changes observed with exemestane were partially reversed during a 1-year follow-up, with no significant difference between the two arms. Similarly, the moderate decrease in high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol was reversed. The bone marker values decreased, although a difference at 6 months of follow-up was still recorded, in particular for the markers of bone synthesis.

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Antimicrobial peptides and proteins are being studied with increasing interest because of their broad range antimicrobial activity. Among plant antimicrobial proteins, the wheat seed polypeptides, puroindoline a and puroindoline b, are particularly interesting because of their established antibacterial activity. In this paper we describe different strategies used to clone His tagged and GST tagged puroindolines obtaining 1.5 mg recombinant protein from 1 l culture. The antimicrobial activity of recombinant and native puroindolines was comparable.

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Exemestane is an orally active, irreversible inactivator of aromatase, structurally related to the natural substrate androstenedione, in clinical use at 25 mg daily for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women. The reproductive and developmental toxicity of exemestane was assessed in rats and rabbits with oral administration. Pivotal experiments included a fertility study (Segment I), in which female rats received exemestane doses of 4, 20, or 100 mg/kg/day from two weeks premating until GD 20 (cesarean-sectioned dams), or until GD 15 and then from D 1 to D 21 postpartum (dams allowed to deliver), and developmental toxicity studies (Segment II), in which rats and rabbits were treated from GD 6 through GD 17 (rats) or GD 18 (rabbits) at doses of 10, 50, 250, or 810 mg/kg/day and 30, 90, or 270 mg/kg/day, respectively. All rabbits and two-thirds of the rats were cesarean sectioned toward the end of pregnancy to determine litter parameters and examine structural abnormalities in the fetuses; the remaining one-third of the rats was allowed to litter and rear pups to weaning. No pivotal male fertility or peri- and postnatal studies were performed, taking into consideration the therapeutic use. Postnatal effects on the first generation offspring were assessed in both studies in rats, in the portion of dams allowed to deliver. Their F1 offspring were raised to adulthood, when they were evaluated for reproductive performance, and the F1 females were terminated on GD 20. The dosing schedule for the Segment I study in rats, which included a postnatal component, was established to exclude exposure before and during parturition (by withdrawing treatment from GD 16 until the end of parturition). This withdrawal of treatment was put in place because in a preliminary study with treatment including the peripartum period, doses from 5 to 200 mg/kg/day prolonged gestation and interfered with parturition.Overall, studies in rats showed that female fertility was not affected up to 100 mg/kg/day, but doses higher than 4 mg/kg/day, which is approximately the pharmacologically active dose (ED50 = 3.7 mg/kg), prolonged gestation and impaired parturition, leading to maternal deaths in labor and perinatal deaths of offspring. Rats killed on GD 20 showed nondose-related increases in resorptions at doses higher than 10 mg/kg/day, a reduction in fetal body weights at 20 and 100 mg/kg/day (fertility study) and 810 mg/kg/day (developmental toxicity study), and an increase in placental weights at all doses. Female fetuses exposed in utero until GD 20 at 100 mg/kg/day showed an increase in the anogenital distance, very likely related to an increase of the potent androgen DHT as a consequence of aromatase inhibition. Morphologic examinations in fetuses and born pups that were exposed in utero up to the end of the organogenesis period, as well as postnatal investigations on offspring up to adulthood, showed no treatment-related effects. In a developmental toxicity study in rabbits, treatment at 270 mg/kg/day affected maternal food intake and body weight gain, caused abortion or total resorption in about 30% of pregnant females, and reduced body weight and numbers of live fetuses, but did not affect fetal morphology. It was concluded that exemestane did not affect parturition in rats at 4 mg/kg/day or pregnancy in rabbits at 90 mg/kg/day (about 1.5 and 70 times the human dose, respectively, on a mg/m2 basis) and was not teratogenic in rats and rabbits. Exemestane is marketed for use only in postmenopausal women. Its labeling includes a contraindication to use in pregnant or lactating women.

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Exemestane is an aromatase inactivator. 769 Postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer who had failed on tamoxifen were randomised to exemestane or megoestrol acetate in this double-blind trial. Objective response rate was similar between treatments. Median time to progression, time to treatment failure and overall survival was significantly longer with exemestane. Drug-related withdrawals and drug-related deaths were more common with megoestrol acetate.

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Human prostatic steroid 5alpha-reductase, encoded by the SRD5A2 gene on chromosome band 2p23, catalyses the irreversible conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the most active androgen in the prostate, with NADPH as its cofactor. This enzyme has never been purified but a number of competitive inhibitors have been developed for this enzyme since increased steroid 5alpha-reductase activity may cause benign prostatic hypertrophy and prostate cancer. We report here the detailed biochemical and pharmacogenetic dissection of the human enzyme by analysing 10 missense substitutions and three double mutants which are all naturally found in humans. Nine of these 13 mutants reduce activity (measured as Vmax) by 20% or more, three increase steroid 5alpha-reductase by more than 15% and one results in essentially unaltered kinetic properties suggesting that it is a truly neutral ('polymorphic') amino acid substitution. Substantial pharmacogenetic variation among the mutants was also observed when three competitive inhibitors, finasteride, GG745 (dutasteride) and PNU157706, were investigated. Our studies not only define the substrate and cofactor binding sites of human steroid 5alpha-reductase, but also have significant consequences for the pharmacological usage of steroid 5alpha-reductase inhibitors in human patients treated for prostatic conditions.

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This phase II, multicentre, open-label, clinical trial evaluated antitumoral efficacy, tolerability and endocrine effects following 25 mg of treatment with oral exemestane given daily to postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer. Eligibility criteria included oestrogen and/or progesterone positivity or a prior response to hormonal therapy if receptor status was unknown; prior failure to tamoxifen therapy; and progressive disease. Patients were divided into three strata: patients who did not respond to tamoxifen or progressed after disease stabilisation (SD) for less than 6 months (stratum 1); patients who, after an initial response or SD lasting at least 6 months, experienced disease progression whilst on tamoxifen (stratum 2); patients with recurrent metastatic disease during or within 12 months of discontinuing adjuvant tamoxifen (stratum 3). Of the 137 patients who received exemestane, 4 experienced a complete response (CR) and 28 a partial response (PR), for an overall response rate of 23%. Another 33 patients had SD for > or = 24 weeks, resulting in an overall success rate of 47%. The median time to objective response was 16.1 weeks (95% confidence interval (CI) 9.9-24.1). The median response duration was 69.4 weeks, the median duration of overall success 59.1 weeks, the median time to progression (TTP) 25.1 weeks and the median time to treatment failure (TTF) 24 weeks. Response to previous hormonal therapy had little effect on the results, except that there was a trend toward a higher overall success rate in patients who did not respond to previous hormonal therapy. After 8 weeks of therapy, serum levels of oestradiol (E2), oestrone (E1) and oestrone sulphate (E1S) were suppressed to 15.2%, 9.7% and 10.7% of baseline, respectively. The most common adverse events of drug-related or indeterminate cause were hot flushes (14%), dizziness (9%), nausea (8%) and increased sweating (5%). Exemestane had a favourable effect on performance status and tumour-related signs and symptoms, both of which improved or stabilised in approximately 67% and 68% of patients respectively. Exemestane is a unique therapy that is highly active and well tolerated as a new treatment for women with metastatic breast cancer.

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PURPOSE: To evaluate the antitumor activity and toxicity of a new steroidal aromatase inactivator, exemestane, in postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer who had progressive disease (PD) after treatment with a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this phase II trial, eligible patients were treated with exemestane 25 mg daily (n = 241) followed, at the time PD was determined, by exemestane 100 mg daily (n = 58). RESULTS: On the basis of the intent-to-treat analysis by independent review, exemestane 25 mg produced objective responses in 6.6% of patients (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.8% to 10.6%) and overall success (complete response + partial response + no change for 24 weeks or longer) in 24.3% (95% CI, 19.0% to 30.2%). The median durations of objective response and overall success were 58.4 weeks (95% CI, 49.7 to 71.1 weeks) and 37.0 weeks (95% CI, 35.0 to 39.4 weeks), respectively. Increasing the dose of exemestane to 100 mg upon the development of PD produced one partial response (1.7%; 95% CI, 0.0% to 9.2%). Both dosages were well tolerated and were discontinued because of adverse events in only 1.7% of patients. CONCLUSION: Exemestane 25 mg once daily seems to be an attractive alternative to chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer after multiple hormonal therapies have failed.

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PURPOSE: This phase III, double-blind, randomized, multicenter study evaluated the efficacy, pharmacodynamics, and safety of the oral aromatase inactivator exemestane (EXE) versus megestrol acetate (MA) in postmenopausal women with progressive advanced breast cancer who experienced failure of tamoxifen. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 769 patients were randomized to EXE 25 mg/d (n = 366) or MA (n = 403) 40 mg four times daily. Tumor response, duration of tumor control, tumor-related signs and symptoms (TRSS), quality of life (QOL), survival, and tolerability were evaluated. RESULTS: Overall objective response (OR) rates were higher in patients treated with EXE than in those treated with MA (15.0% v 12.4%); a similar trend was noted in patients with visceral metastases (13.5% v 10.5%). Median survival time was significantly longer with EXE (median not reached) than with MA (123.4 weeks; P =.039), as were the median duration of overall success (OR or stable disease > or = 24 weeks; 60.1 v 49.1 weeks; P =.025), time to tumor progression (20.3 v 16.6 weeks; P =.037), and time to treatment failure (16.3 v 15.7 weeks; P =.042). Compared with MA, there were similar or greater improvements in pain, TRSS, and QOL with EXE. Both drugs were well tolerated. Grade 3 or 4 weight changes were more common with MA (17.1% v 7.6%; P =.001). CONCLUSION: EXE prolongs survival time, time to tumor progression, and time to treatment failure compared with MA and offers a well-tolerated treatment option for postmenopausal women with progressive advanced breast cancer who experienced failure of tamoxifen.

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UNLABELLED: PNU 157706 [N-(1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluorophenyl-propyl)-3-oxo-4-aza- 5alpha-androst-1-ene-17beta-carboxamide], a novel, potent and selective dual 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, was reported to be effective in inhibiting the growth of established tumors in the Dunning R3327 rat prostatic carcinoma model. PURPOSE: We investigated the efficacy of treatment with PNU 157706 in combination with the antiandrogen bicalutamide in this prostatic tumor model. METHODS: Rats with tumor diameters of about 1 cm were treated orally 6 days a week for 9 weeks with PNU 157706 (10 mg/kg per day) alone or in combination with bicalutamide (0.2 and 1 mg kg per day). Animals were killed 24 h after the last treatment, and ventral prostates were removed for testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) determination. RESULTS: PNU 157706 reduced the growth of established tumors by 39%; bicalutamide proved ineffective at 0.2 mg/kg per day, but reduced tumor growth by 45% at a dose of 1 mg/kg per day. The combination of PNU 157706 with both doses of bicalutamide caused an additive tumor growth inhibition (50% and 64%). Castration resulted in marked tumor growth inhibition (72%). Ventral prostate weight was markedly reduced by PNU 157706 (78%) treatment and by bicalutamide (59% and 77%); combined treatment was as effective as castration. Prostatic DHT content was markedly reduced by PNU 157706 (88%), whereas prostatic T increased slightly (60%). Concomitant treatment with bicalutamide antagonized the T increase induced by PNU 157706 and did not modify the already remarkable suppression of DHT. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that the inhibitory effect of PNU 157706 and bicalutamide on Dunning prostatic tumor growth is additive, thus suggesting a possible role of PNU 157706 in the therapy of advanced prostate cancer, in combination with antiandrogens, to provide an effective peripheral androgen ablation therapy with minimal side effects.

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We compared the efficacy and safety of the oral aromatase inactivator exemestane (EXE) with megestrol acetate (MA) in women with metastatic breast cancer. This phase III randomized, double-blind, multicenter study was conducted in 769 postmenopausal women who had experienced tamoxifen failure. Treatment arms consisted of EXE 25 mg once daily (n=366) or MA 40 mg four times daily (160 mg daily; n=403). Peer-reviewed, intent-to-treat analyses demonstrated that EXE induced a trend toward higher rates of complete response (CR)+partial response (PR) (15.0% vs. 12.4%) and of CR+PR+stable disease (SD)=24 weeks (37.4% vs. 34.6%), but differences were not statistically significant. Statistically significant differences favoring EXE were seen in median duration of CR+PR+SD=24 weeks (60.1 vs. 49.1 weeks; P=0.025), time to tumor progression (20.3 vs. 16.6 weeks; P=0.037), time to treatment failure (16.3 vs. 15.7 weeks; P=0.042), and overall survival (not reached vs. 123.4 weeks; P=0.039). Both treatments were well tolerated, but MA was associated with more grade 3 or 4 weight gain (8% vs. 17%, P=0.001); the pain score was sim-ilar in both groups. There was a trend toward superiority in treatment-related signs and symptoms (TRSS) with EXE. There was greater improvement in the pain score and TRSS in patients achieving an objective response with EXE vs. MA. Quality of life improved or was similar for EXE in most domains. Exemestane offers an important new treatment option for postmenopausal women with hormone-responsive breast cancer.

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PURPOSE: To assess the antitumor activity, safety, and hormone-suppressive effects of the irreversible aromatase inactivator, exemestane (Aromasin, Pharmacia & Upjohn, Kalamazoo, MI), administered as third-line hormone therapy to postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer that is refractory to tamoxifen and megestrol acetate. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Exemestane was administered at a dose of 25 mg/d orally until patients experienced disease progression. The efficacy and safety of exemestane were clinically and radiographically evaluated. The impact of exemestane treatment on tumor-related signs and symptoms was assessed. The effect of exemestane on serum levels of estrogens and other steroidal hormones was determined. RESULTS: Ninety-one patients were treated. There were four complete responses (CR) and eight partial responses (PR), for an objective response rate of 13% in the entire treated population. The overall success rate (CR, PR, or stable disease [SD] >/= 24 weeks) was 30%. The median duration of response and overall success was 9 months and 8 months, respectively. Most patients with CR/PR (83%; 10 of 12 patients) and SD >/= 24 weeks (80%; 12 of 15 patients) had improved or stable tumor-related signs and symptoms. Mean levels of circulating estrone (E(1)), estradiol (E(2)), and estrone sulfate decreased to 11%, 22%, and 13% of baseline levels, respectively (at week 8 or 16 of treatment). One half of the patients had undetectable E(1) and E(2) levels during treatment, including at the time of disease progression. Mild nausea (20% of patients) and hot flashes (20%) were the most common drug-related adverse events and were generally grade 1. CONCLUSION: Exemestane is an active and well-tolerated third-line hormonal therapy that represents a new treatment option for postmenopausal patients with advanced breast cancer that has become refractory to standard first- and second-line hormonal therapies.

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The steroid 5 alpha-reductase enzyme catalyzes the conversion of testosterone to the potent androgen 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). PNU 157706, a novel, potent and selective dual 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor, was reported to be effective in inhibiting the growth of established tumors in the Dunning R3327 rat prostatic carcinoma model. We have studied the efficacy of combined treatment with PNU 157706 and the antiandrogen flutamide in this prostatic tumor in rats. Rats with tumor diameters of about 1 cm were treated orally 6 days a week for 9 weeks with PNU 157706 (10 mg/kg per day) alone or in combination with flutamide (1 and 5 mg/kg per day). Animals were killed 24 h after the last treatment and ventral prostates were removed for testosterone and DHT determination. PNU 157706 reduced the growth of established tumors by 36%; flutamide showed a slight effect at 1 mg/kg per day (24% inhibition), while at the dose of 5 mg/kg per day it reduced tumor growth by 48%. The combination of PNU 157706 with the lower dose of flutamide caused an additive tumor growth inhibition (60%) and the combination with the higher dose of flutamide resulted in a better inhibition of tumor growth (68%) than did either treatment alone. Castration resulted in marked tumor growth inhibition (76%). Ventral prostate weight was more markedly reduced by PNU 157706 treatment than by flutamide; combined treatment was as effective as castration. Prostatic DHT content was markedly reduced by PNU 157706 (93%), whereas prostatic testosterone increased (137%). Concomitant treatment with flutamide partially antagonized the testosterone increase induced by PNU 157706 and did not modify the already considerable suppression of DHT. These data show that the inhibitory effects of PNU 157706 and flutamide on Dunning prostatic tumor growth are additive, thus supporting the rationale of this combination therapy in advanced prostate cancer, in order to achieve adequate androgen blockade with minimal side-effects.

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Exemestane is an irreversible, steroidal, oral aromatase inhibitor under evaluation in postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer. A phase I study was conducted in 27 postmenopausal patients who were candidates for hormone therapy because they had advanced breast cancer and estrogen receptor-positive or unknown status. Most patients were moderately or heavily pretreated. Cohorts of at least three patients received sequentially escalating daily oral doses of 5-600 mg. The median duration of exemestane treatment was 13 weeks (range: 3-166 weeks). The maximal tolerated dose was not reached because of lack of treatment-related grade 3 or 4 toxicity. The most common adverse events, including those not related to treatment, were mild to moderate headache (44% of patients), dizziness (33%), nausea (33%), hot flushes (30%) and tumor-related pain (30%). There were three complete and four partial responses for an objective response rate of 26% (95% CI: 11.1-46.3%) in the intent-to-treat population; the median duration of response was 74 weeks (95% CI: 48-99 weeks). Exemestane, at the dose of 25 mg, maximally suppressed estradiol, estrone and estrone sulfate serum levels to 13, 5 and 10% of baseline, respectively. Exemestane appears to suppress estrogen, be well tolerated and have antitumor activity in postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer. A large, safe therapeutic window of up to 600 mg was defined. In view of its safety and estrogen-suppression profiles, the most favorable effects were observed at the 25 mg daily dose.

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The effect of exemestane (6-methylenandrosta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione) 25 mg p.o. once daily on in vivo aromatization was studied in 10 postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer. Aromatization was determined before treatment and after 6-8 weeks on therapy by administering a bolus injection of [3H]androstenedione (500 microCi) and [14C]estrone (5 microCi) followed by measurement of the isotope ratio of urinary estrogens after high-performance liquid chromatography purification. In addition, plasma endogenous estrogens were measured with highly sensitive radioimmunoassays after separation with high-performance liquid chromatography. Treatment with exemestane suppressed whole body aromatization from a mean pretreatment value of 2.059% to 0.042% (mean suppression of 97.9%). Plasma levels of estrone, estradiol, and estrone sulfate were found to be suppressed by 94.5%, 92.2%, and 93.2%, respectively. This is the first study revealing near total aromatase inhibition in vivo with the use of a steroidal aromatase inhibitor. The observation that exemestane is a highly potent aromatase inhibitor, together with the fact that the drug is administered p.o. and causes limited side effects, suggests that exemestane is a promising new drug for the treatment of hormone sensitive breast cancer.

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The synthesis and antihypertensive activity of a series of 2,4-dioxoimidazolidin-1-yl and perhydro-2,4-dioxopyrimidin-1-yl ergoline derivatives are reported. The oral antihypertensive activity was studied in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) by measuring systolic blood pressure by an indirect tail-cuff method at different times after treatment. The prolactin lowering activity (indirectly measured by the nidation test) in rats and the oral acute toxicity in mice were also studied. The results of this study revealed potent antihypertensive ergoline derivatives devoid of side-effects related to the dopaminergic stimulation and the importance of the delta 9,10 double bond for conferring high potency within these compounds.

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The efficacy of treatment with the 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor PNU 156765 (FCE 28260) was investigated in the Dunning R3327 prostatic tumor in rats. The compound, given orally at the doses of 10 and 50 mg/kg/day, for 8 weeks, reduced the growth of established tumors by 49-50%, an effect similar to that of flutamide at 5 mg/kg/day (46% inhibition). In a further experiment, the combination of PNU 156765 10 mg/kg/day and flutamide 5 mg/kg/day resulted in greater inhibition than either treatment alone (70 vs. 20% in PNU-156765-treated and 51% in flutamide-treated groups). The effect of the combination was similar to that of castration (75% inhibition). Ventral prostate weight was more markedly reduced by PNU 156765 than by flutamide, and combined treatment was as effective as castration. Prostatic dihydrotestosterone content was markedly reduced by PNU 156765 while prostatic testosterone increased. Concomitant treatment with flutamide antagonized the testosterone increase induced by PNU 156765. These data indicate a role for 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors in the therapy of prostate cancer, in combination with antiandrogens, in order to achieve adequate androgen blockade with minimal side effects.

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BACKGROUND: Turosteride, a selective 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, was reported to be effective in inhibiting the growth of established tumors in the Dunning R3327 rat prostatic carcinoma model. We evaluated the preventive effect of turosteride when administered during the latency period in this prostatic tumor model. METHODS: Turosteride was given orally, 6 days a week for 10-15 weeks, starting at different times: 1) 5 weeks after tumor implantation, when tumors were not yet palpable, or 2) 1 day after tumor implantation. In each experiment, one group of animals was castrated on the first treatment day. RESULTS: When treatment started 5 weeks after tumor implantation, neither turosteride (at 50 and 200 mg/kg/day) nor castration reduced tumor incidence (91-100%). Tumor growth was reduced in groups treated with the highest dose of turosteride and in castrated rats. When treatment started 1 day after tumor implantation, castration resulted in a 62% tumor incidence compared to 100% in controls, while turosteride at 200 mg/kg/day was not effective in reducing tumor incidence. However, as in the previous experiment, the compound was highly effective in reducing tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS: The antitumor activity profile of turosteride seems not to be related to the timing of treatment. Given either 5 weeks or 1 day after tumor implantation, the compound did not reduce tumor take, while it maintained effective tumor growth-inhibiting activity in both cases.

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PNU 157706 is a novel dual inhibitor of 5alpha-reductase (5alpha-R), the enzyme responsible for the conversion of testosterone (T) to 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Tested on a crude preparation of human or rat prostatic 5alpha-R, PNU 157706 caused enzyme inhibition with IC50 values of 20 and 34 nM, respectively, compared to the values of 32 and 58 nM shown by finasteride. Furthermore, PNU 157706 was highly potent in inhibiting human recombinant 5alpha-R type I and II isozymes, showing IC50 values of 3.9 and 1.8 nM and, therefore, it was several folds more potent than finasteride (IC50 values of 313 and 11.3 nM), particularly on the type I isozyme. PNU 157706 was shown to have no binding affinity for the rat prostate androgen receptor (RBA 0.009% that of DHT). In adult male rats, a single oral dose of 10 mg/kg of PNU 157706 caused a marked and longer lasting reduction of prostatic DHT than did finasteride (at 24 h inhibition by 89 and 47%, respectively). In prepubertal, T- or DHT-implanted castrated rats, PNU 157706, given orally for 7 days at the dose of 10 mg/kg/day, markedly reduced ventral prostate weight in T- but not in DHT-implanted animals, thus showing to be devoid of any anti-androgen activity. In adult rats treated orally for 28 days, PNU 157706 resulted markedly more potent (16-fold) than finasteride in reducing prostate weight, the ED50 values being 0.12 and 1.9 mg/kg/day, respectively. These results indicate that PNU 157706 is a promising, potent inhibitor of both type II and I human 5alpha-R with a very marked antiprostatic effect in the rat.

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PNU 157706 [N-(1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluorophenylpropyl)-3-oxo-4-aza-5alpha-androst-1-ene-17beta-carboxamide] is a novel, potent and selective dual 5alpha-reductase inhibitor. We have investigated its effect on tumor growth, endocrine organ weights and prostatic dihydrotestosterone (DHT) content in rats bearing the androgen dependent Dunning R3327 prostatic carcinoma. Animals with tumor diameters of about 1 cm were treated orally for 9 weeks with PNU 157706 (2 and 10 mg/kg/day, 6 days a week) or they were castrated, to check the hormone responsiveness of the tumor. PNU 157706 was effective at both doses tested in reducing tumor growth (53 and 51% inhibition at 2 and 10 mg/kg/day, respectively), while castration caused higher inhibition (82%) of tumor growth. A marked reduction of ventral prostate weight occurred in rats treated with both doses of PNU 157706 (75 and 78%) or castrated (91%). Seminal vesicle weight was also reduced by PNU 157706 administration (56 and 61% inhibition), whereas testes, adrenal, thymus and pituitary weights were not affected. Prostatic DHT content was markedly suppressed (85 and 91%) in PNU 157706 treated rats, compared to 95% suppression caused by castration. These data support a possible role of dual 5alpha-reductase inhibitors in the hormonal therapy of prostatic cancer.

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