Dimethylcurcumin (development code ASC-J9) is a

nonsteroidal antiandrogen A nonsteroidal antiandrogen (NSAA) is an antiandrogen with a nonsteroidal chemical structure. They are typically selective and full or silent antagonists of the androgen receptor (AR) and act by directly blocking the effects of androgens like ...

and a synthetic

curcuminoid A curcuminoid is a linear diarylheptanoid, a relatively small class of plant secondary metabolites that includes curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin, all isolated from turmeric ( curcuma longa). These compounds are natural ...

which is under development by AndroScience Corporation as a

topical medication A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical medication means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes ...

for the treatment of acne vulgaris. It has also been under investigation for the treatment of male pattern hair loss, spinal muscular atrophy, and wounds, but no development has been reported for these indications. There has been interest in the drug for the potential treatment of prostate cancer as well. As of 2017, it is in phase II

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, diet ...

s for acne vulgaris. Dimethylcurcumin is an androgen receptor (AR) inhibitor and shows strong and specific

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 ...

ic activity ''

in vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning in glass, or ''in the glass'') studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called " test-tube experiments", these studies in biology ...

'' (e.g., against

LNCaP LNCaP cells are a cell line of human cells commonly used in the field of oncology. LNCaP cells are androgen-sensitive human prostate adenocarcinoma cells derived from the left supraclavicular lymph node metastasis from a 50-year-old caucasian ma ...

cell growth) at sufficiently high concentrations. However, its

mechanism of action In pharmacology, the term mechanism of action (MOA) refers to the specific biochemical interaction through which a drug substance produces its pharmacological effect. A mechanism of action usually includes mention of the specific molecular targ ...

and effects differ from those of conventional antiandrogens; it is not an antagonist of the AR and instead appears to act as a selective degradation enhancer (SARD) of certain subpopulations of the AR, for instance those present in the

prostate gland The prostate is both an accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found only in some mammals. It differs between species anatomically, chemically, and physio ...

References

Curcuminoids Experimental drugs Nonsteroidal antiandrogens {{Dermatologic-drug-stub

See also

References