ABSTRACT
Progesterone, acting primarily via the progesterone receptor (PR), plays an essential
role in the regulation of female reproduction. Steroidal progestins (i.e., PR agonists)
are commonly used in women's health, such as in contraception and hormone therapy
and for the treatment of gynecological disorders. Recent studies in women and in nonhuman
primates also indicate that PR antagonists may have potential applications in contraception
and for the treatment of reproductive disorders such as fibroids and endometriosis.
Currently, all clinically available PR agonists and antagonists are steroidal compounds.
They often cause various side effects due to their functional interactions with other
steroid receptors or because of effects associated with their steroidal metabolites.
In an effort to identify more receptor-selective and structurally diverse compounds
that may render clinical advantages over steroidal PR ligands, numerous receptor-selective
novel nonsteroidal PR agonists and antagonists have been discovered. This review focuses
on the structure activity relationships and the biological profile of the nonsteroidal
PR modulators discovered in the last decade.
KEYWORDS
Progesterone receptor (PR) - PR agonists - PR antagonists - contraception - endometriosis
- hormone therapy - uterine fibroids
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Richard C WinnekerPh.D.
Women's Health Research Institute, Wyeth Research
500 Arcola Road, Collegeville, PA 19426
eMail: winnekr@wyeth.com