15β-Hydroxycyproterone acetate (15β-OH-CPA) is a steroidal antiandrogen and the major metabolite of

cyproterone acetate Cyproterone acetate (CPA), sold alone under the brand name Androcur or with ethinylestradiol under the brand names Diane or Diane-35 among others, is an antiandrogen and progestin medication used in the treatment of androgen-dependent condition ...

(CPA). It is formed from CPA in the

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

by hydroxylation via the

cytochrome P450 Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) are a superfamily of enzymes containing heme as a cofactor that functions as monooxygenases. In mammals, these proteins oxidize steroids, fatty acids, and xenobiotics, and are important for the clearance of various co ...

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...

CYP3A4. During therapy with CPA, 15β-OH-CPA circulates at concentrations that are approximately twice those of CPA. 15β-OH-CPA has similar or even greater antiandrogen activity compared to CPA. However, it has only about one-tenth of the activity of CPA as a progestogen. 15β-OH-CPA also shows some

glucocorticoid Glucocorticoids (or, less commonly, glucocorticosteroids) are a class of corticosteroids, which are a class of steroid hormones. Glucocorticoids are corticosteroids that bind to the glucocorticoid receptor that is present in almost every verteb ...

activity, similarly to CPA and unesterified

cyproterone Cyproterone, also known by its developmental code name SH-80881, is a steroidal antiandrogen which was studied in the 1960s and 1970s but was never introduced for medical use. It is an analogue of cyproterone acetate (CPA), an antiandrogen, p ...

References

Acetate esters Antiandrogen esters Cyclopentanols Chloroarenes Conjugated dienes Cyclopropanes Cyproterone acetate Enones Glucocorticoids Human drug metabolites Pregnanes Progestogens Steroid esters Steroidal antiandrogens {{Genito-urinary-drug-stub

See also

References