10.1007/s00044-012-0059-1
The study investigates the creation and evaluation of imidazolyl substituted 16E-arylidenosteroidal derivatives for their potential as aromatase inhibitors, which are crucial in treating estrogen-dependent tumors such as breast cancer. The researchers synthesized various steroidal hybrids by condensing imidazole with the androstane nucleus. Key chemicals involved include dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA), substituted benzaldehydes, and imidazole. The synthesis process involved aldol condensation of DHA with substituted benzaldehydes to form 16-benzylidene steroidal derivatives, which were then fused with imidazole and subjected to Oppenauer oxidation to yield the final products. The most potent compound, 16-[3-{3-(imidazol-1-yl)propoxy}benzylidene]-4-androstene-3,17-dione (10), exhibited an IC50 value of 4.4 μM, making it seven times more potent than the standard drug aminoglutethimide. The study highlights the significance of structural modifications in enhancing the binding affinity of these steroidal derivatives with the aromatase enzyme, with meta-substituted compounds showing more promise than para-substituted ones.
10.1016/S0022-2860(98)00423-2
The research focused on the investigation of aminoglutethimide (AG), an anticancer drug, using infrared (IR), Raman spectroscopy, and ab initio restricted Hartree-Fock (RHF) theoretical calculations. The purpose of the study was to extend the knowledge of AG by analyzing its molecular structure and interactions with surrounding molecules in different solvent environments, which is crucial for understanding its biochemical behavior. The researchers compared the IR and Raman spectra of AG dissolved in solvents of varying polarity, such as carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), chloroform (CHCl3), and acetonitrile (CH3CN). They found that increasing the solute concentration in CCl4 and CHCl3 led to the formation of autoassociates, while in CH3CN, solute-solvent AG-CH3CN dimers occurred. The study concluded that most of the absorption bands were assignable to characteristic group vibrations, and the spectra provided insights into the solute-solvent interactions, which are essential for modeling biochemical systems where AG is involved.