7α-Thiospironolactone (7α-TS; developmental code name SC-24813; also known as deacetylspironolactone) is a steroidal

antimineralocorticoid An antimineralocorticoid, also known as a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA or MCRA) or aldosterone antagonist, is a diuretic drug which antagonizes the action of aldosterone at mineralocorticoid receptors. This group of drugs is ofte ...

and

antiandrogen Antiandrogens, also known as androgen antagonists or testosterone blockers, are a class of drugs that prevent androgens like testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) from mediating their biological effects in the body. They act by blocking the ...

of the

spirolactone Spirolactones are a class of functional group in organic chemistry featuring a cyclic ester attached spiro to another ring system. The name is also used to refer to a class of synthetic steroids, called steroid-17α-spirolactones, 17α-spiro ...

group and a minor

active metabolite An active metabolite is an active form of a drug after it has been processed by the body. Metabolites of drugs An active metabolite results when a drug is metabolized by the body into a modified form which continues to produce effects in the body ...

spironolactone Spironolactone, sold under the brand name Aldactone among others, is a medication that is primarily used to treat fluid build-up due to heart failure, liver scarring, or kidney disease. It is also used in the treatment of high blood press ...

. Other important metabolites of spironolactone include 7α-thiomethylspironolactone (7α-TMS; SC-26519), 6β-hydroxy-7α-thiomethylspironolactone (6β-OH-7α-TMS), and

canrenone Canrenone, sold under the brand names Contaren, Luvion, Phanurane, and Spiroletan, is a steroidal antimineralocorticoid of the spirolactone group related to spironolactone which is used as a diuretic in Europe, including in Italy and Belgium. It ...

(SC-9376). Spironolactone is a prodrug with a short

terminal half-life Biological half-life (also known as elimination half-life, pharmacologic half-life) is the time taken for concentration of a biological substance (such as a medication) to decrease from its maximum concentration ( Cmax) to half of Cmax in the bl ...

of 1.4 hours. The active metabolites of spironolactone have extended terminal half-lives of 13.8 hours for 7α-TMS, 15.0 hours for 6β-OH-7α-TMS, and 16.5 hours for canrenone, and accordingly, these metabolites are responsible for the therapeutic effects of the drug. 7α-TS and 7α-TMS have been found to possess approximately equivalent

affinity Affinity may refer to: Commerce, finance and law * Affinity (law), kinship by marriage * Affinity analysis, a market research and business management technique * Affinity Credit Union, a Saskatchewan-based credit union * Affinity Equity Par ...

for the rat ventral prostate androgen receptor (AR) relative to that of spironolactone. The affinity of 7α-TS, 7α-TMS, and spironolactone for the rat prostate AR is about 3.0 to 8.5% of that of

dihydrotestosterone Dihydrotestosterone (DHT, 5α-dihydrotestosterone, 5α-DHT, androstanolone or stanolone) is an endogenous androgen sex steroid and hormone. The enzyme 5α-reductase catalyzes the formation of DHT from testosterone in certain tissues includ ...

(DHT). 7α-TS, via a reactive metabolite formed by

17α-hydroxylase Cytochrome P450 17A1 (steroid 17α-monooxygenase, 17α-hydroxylase, 17-alpha-hydroxylase, 17,20-lyase, 17,20-desmolase) is an enzyme of the hydroxylase type that in humans is encoded by the ''CYP17A1'' gene on chromosome 10. It is ubiquitously exp ...

, is a suicide inhibitor of 17α-hydroxylase, and is thought to be involved in the inhibition of 17α-hydroxylase by spironolactone. A study assessed the interaction of spironolactone and 7α-TS with

sex hormone-binding globulin Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) or sex steroid-binding globulin (SSBG) is a glycoprotein that binds to androgens and estrogens. When produced by the Sertoli cells in the seminiferous tubules of the testis, it has also been called androgen ...

and found that they had very low affinity for this

carrier protein A membrane transport protein (or simply transporter) is a membrane protein involved in the movement of ions, small molecules, and macromolecules, such as another protein, across a biological membrane. Transport proteins are integral transmembrane ...

See also

References

Further reading