During an initial study in searching for the alternative derivatives suitable for photolabeling of neuroactive steroids, perfluorobenzoates and perfluorobenzamides in position 17 of 5 beta-androstan-3 alpha-ol were synthesized from the corresponding 17-hydroxy and 17-amino derivatives. After transformation into glutamates or sulfates, 17 alpha-epimers had comparable inhibitory activity at NMDA receptors to the natural neurosteroid (20-oxo-5 beta-pregnan-3 beta-yl sulfate), however, were more potent (2- to 36-fold) than their 17 beta-substituted analogs. In one case, fluorine in position 4' of perfluorobenzoate group was substituted with azide and activity of the final glutamate was retained comparing with the corresponding perfluorobenzoate. The series was expanded with perfluorobenzoyl derivatives of pregnanolone: Perfluorobenzamide of glutamate and perfluorobenzoate of 11 alpha-hydroxy pregnanolone were prepared and tested. From nine tested compounds, four of them exhibit very good inhibition activity and can serve as promising leads for photolabeling experiments. (c) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Analogs of pregnanolone (3 alpha-hydroxy-5 beta-pregnan-20-one), modified in position 17 were prepared. Compounds with 20-keto pregnane side chain replaced completely by azide (17 alpha- and 17 beta-azido-5 beta-androstan-3 alpha-ol), compounds with its part replaced (20-azido-21-nor-5 beta-pregnan-3 alpha-ol), and compounds with keto group only replaced ((20R)- and (20S)-20-azido-5 beta-pregnan-3 alpha-ol) were synthesized using tosylate displacements with sodium azide or Mitsunobu reaction with azoimide. All five azido steroids were converted into corresponding sulfates. Subsequent tests for inhibition of glutamate induced response on NMDA receptors revealed that modification of pregnanolone sulfate side chain with azide did not disturb the activity and some of sulfates tested were more active than parent compound. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.