Steroidal C-19 Sulphur and Nitrogen Derivatives designed as Aromatase Inhibitors

Article abstract of DOI:10.1039/c39850001733

The discovery that in the steroidal compounds (6) and (15) iodine in the 19-position is smoothly displaced by reactive nucleophiles (CN(1-), MeSO2S(1-), N3(1-)) without rearrangement was exploited in the synthesis of 19-methylthio-4-androstene-3,17-dione (14) which was shown to inhibit aromatase by co-ordination of the steroidal sulphur atom to the haem-iron of cytochrome P-450.