Mestilbol

Mestilbol is a synthetic, steroidal antiandrogen that was never marketed. It is an analog of flutamide and was developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Mestilbol is related to nilutamide, bicalutamide, and enzalutamide, all of which are nonsteroidal antiandrogens.

Chemistry

Mestilbol, also known as 17α-methyl-4,5α-dihydrotestosterone, is a synthetic androstane steroid and a derivative of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is more specifically a derivative of metribolone (17α-methyl-19-nortestosterone 17β-hydroxy-4,9,11-estratrien-3-one) and is a member of the nandrolone (19-nortestosterone) and mibolerone (7α,17α-dimethyl-19-nortestosterone) families.

Pharmacology

As an antiandrogen, Mestilbol acts as an antagonist of the androgen receptor (AR), the biological target of androgens like testosterone and DHT. It competes with these androgens for binding to the AR and thereby prevents them from exerting their biological effects in the body. Mestilbol has been found to possess about the same affinity for the AR as metribolone.

History

Mestilbol was first described in the literature in 1980 and was developed by the pharmaceutical company Roussel Uclaf in the late 1970s and early 1980s. However, it was never marketed.

See also

• List of androgen receptor antagonists
• List of steroidal antiandrogens