Synthesis of 4,19-disubstituted derivatives of doc. Radioreceptor assay of some corticosteroid derivatives in human mononuclear leukocytes

Several new 4,19-substituted steroids and previously synthesized corticosteroids were assayed for affinity to type 1 receptors in human mononuclear leyukocytes. 11β,19-Epoxy-4, 21-dihydroxypregn-4-ene-3,20-dione (2) was hydrogenated with Pd-C to yield a mixture of all four dihydro derivatives 5, accompanied by 4,21-diacetoxy-11β,19-epoxy-3-hydroxypregnan-20-one (6) and 21-acetoxy-11β,19-epoxy-4-hydroxypregnane-3,20-dione (7). With hot acetic+p-toluenesulfonic acid 5 underwent rearrangement to 21-acetoxy-11β,19-epoxypregn-5-ene-4,20-dione (8). Pd-C hydrogenation of 3,21-diacetoxy-5β,19-cyclopregna-2,9(11)-diene-4,20-dione (10) gave 3,21-diacetoxy-5β,19-cyclopregn-5-ene-40,20-dione (11) and the 9,11-dihydro derivative of the latter. Treatment of 10 with warm HCl furnished 19-chloro-4,21-dihydroxypregna-4,9(11)-diene-3,20-dione (13). Pd-C hydrogenation of its diacetate 14 afforded the 4,5-dihydro derivative 18, 19-chloro-21-acetoxypregn-9(11)-en-20-one (15), its 4-acetoxy derivative 16 and the 3,4-diacetoxy derivative 17. When tested in a radioreceptor assay in human mononuclear leukocytes the synthesized compounds showed only low relative binding affinities (RBA) to type 1 receptor, the highest being 0.72% for 13 (aldosterone = 100%). For comparison, other RBA in this system were: 19-noraldosterone, 20%; 18-deoxyaldosterone, 5.8%; 18-deoxy-19-noraldosterone, 4.7%; 18,21-anhydroaldosterone, 0.37%; 17-isoaldosterone, 7.6% and apoaldosterone, 4.3%.