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Structure-activity relationships of selective estrogen receptor modulators: modifications to the 2-arylbenzothiophene core of raloxifene.

Grese TA, Cho S, Finley DR, Godfrey AG, Jones CD, Lugar CW 3rd, Martin MJ, Matsumoto K, Pennington LD, Winter MA, Adrian MD, Cole HW, Magee DE, Phillips DL, Rowley ER, Short LL, Glasebrook AL, Bryant HU.

Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana 46285, USA.

The 2-arylbenzothiophene raloxifene, 1, is a selective estrogen receptor modulator which is currently under clinical evaluation for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. A series of raloxifene analogs which contain modifications to the 2-arylbenzothiophene core have been prepared and evaluated for the ability to bind to the estrogen receptor and inhibit MCF-7 breast cancer cell proliferation in vitro. Their ability to function as tissue-selective estrogen agonists in vivo has been assayed in a short-term, ovariectomized (OVX) rat model with end points of serum cholesterol lowering, uterine weight gain, and uterine eosinophil peroxidase activity. These studies have demonstrated that (1) the 6-hydroxy and, to a lesser extent, the 4'-hydroxy substituents of raloxifene are important for receptor binding and in vitro activity, (2) small, highly electronegative 4'-substituents such as hydroxy, fluoro, and chloro are preferred both in vitro and in vivo, (3) increased steric bulk at the 4'-position leads to increased uterine stimulation in vivo, and (4) additional substitution of the 2-aryl moiety is tolerated while additional substitution at the 4-, 5-, or 7-position of the benzothiophene results in reduced biological activity. In addition, compounds in which the 2-aryl group is replaced by alkyl, cycloalkyl, and naphthyl substituents maintain a profile of in vitro and in vivo biological activity qualitatively similar to that of raloxifene. Several novel structural variants including 2-cyclohexyl, 2-naphthyl, and 6-carbomethoxy analogs also demonstrated efficacy in preventing bone loss in a chronic OVX rat model of postmenopausal osteopenia, at doses of 0.1-10 mg/kg.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9003514&dopt=Abstract raloxifene Evista



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Tissue selective action of tamoxifen methiodide, raloxifene and tamoxifen on creatine kinase B activity in vitro and in vivo.

Somjen D, Waisman A, Kaye AM.

Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel.

We have compared the cell and tissue selective estrogenic and antiestrogenic activities of tamoxifen, raloxifene, ICI 164,384 and a permanently ionized derivative of tamoxifen--tamoxifen methiodide (TMI). This non-steroidal antiestrogen has limited ability to cross the blood brain barrier and is therefore less likely to cause the central nervous system disturbances caused by tamoxifen. We have used the stimulation of the specific activity of the "estrogen induced protein", creatine kinase BB, as a response marker in bone, cartilage, uterine and adipose cells and in rat skeletal tissues, uterus and mesometrial adipose tissue. In vitro, TMI, tamoxifen and raloxifene mimicked the agonistic action of 17beta-estradiol in ROS 17/2.8 rat osteogenic osteosarcoma, female calvaria, and SaOS2 human osteoblast cells. In Ishikawa endometrial cancer cells, tamoxifen showed reduced agonistic effects and raloxifene showed no stimulation. However, as antagonists, tamoxifen and raloxifene were equally effective in Ishikawa or SaOS2 cells. In immature rats, all four of the antiestrogens inhibited estrogen action in diaphysis, epiphysis, uterus and mesometrial adipose tissue; when administered alone, tamoxifen stimulated creatine kinase (CK) specific activity in all these tissues. Raloxifene and TMI, however, stimulated only the skeletal tissues and had no stimulatory effect in the uterus or mesometrial fat, and the pure antiestrogen ICI 164,384 showed no stimulatory effect in any of the tissues. The simultaneous injection of estrogen, plus an antiestrogen which acted as an agonist, resulted in lower CK activity than after injection of either agent alone. These differential effects, in vivo and in vitro, may point the way to a wider therapeutic choice of an appropriate antiestrogen which, although antagonizing E2 action in mammary cancer, can still protect against osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease and not stimulate the uterus with its attendant undesirable changes, or interfere with the beneficial action of E2 in the brain.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9010344&dopt=Abstract raloxifene Evista



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Discovery and synthesis of [6-hydroxy-3-[4-[2-(1-piperidinyl)ethoxy]phenoxy]-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)]b enzo[b]thiophene: a novel, highly potent, selective estrogen receptor modulator.

Palkowitz AD, Glasebrook AL, Thrasher KJ, Hauser KL, Short LL, Phillips DL, Muehl BS, Sato M, Shetler PK, Cullinan GJ, Pell TR, Bryant HU.

Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana 46285, USA.

Raloxifene,[2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-6-hydroxybenzo[b]thien-3-yl] [4-[2-(1-piperidinyl)ethoxy]phenyl]methanone hydrochloride (2), is representative of a class of compounds known as selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) that possess estrogen agonist-like actions on bone tissues and serum lipids while displaying potent estrogen antagonist properties in the breast and uterus. As part of ongoing SAR studies with raloxifene, we found that replacement of the carbonyl group with oxygen ([6-hydroxy-3-[4-[2-(1-piperidinyl)ethoxy]phenoxy]-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)]b enzo[b]thiophene hydrochloride, 4c) resulted in a substantial (10-fold) increase in estrogen antagonist potency relative to raloxifene in an in vitro estrogen dependent cell proliferation assay (IC50 = 0.05 nM) in which human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) were utilized. In vivo, 4c potently inhibited the uterine proliferative response to exogenous estrogen in immature rats following both sc and oral dosing (ED50 of 0.006 and 0.25 mg/kg, respectively). In ovariectomized aged rats, 4c produced a significant maximal decrease (45%) in total cholesterol at 1.0 mg/kg (p.o.) and showed a protective effect on bone relative to controls with maximal efficacy at 1.0 mg/kg (p.o.). These data identify 4c as a novel SERM with greater potency to antagonize estrogen in uterine tissue and in human mammary cancer cells compared to raloxifene, tamoxifen or ICI-182,780.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9154963&dopt=Abstract raloxifene Evista



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Activity of raloxifene in immature and ovariectomized rat uterotrophic assays.

Ashby J, Odum J, Foster JR.

Zeneca Central Toxicological Laboratory, Macclesfield, Cheshire, United Kingdom.

Raloxifene is generally regarded as a tissue-selective estrogen agonist, being capable of selectively counter-acting both the loss of bone density and the increase in serum cholesterol that occur in rats following ovariectomy, without the induction of a trophic effect on the rat uterus. An implication of this activity profile is that reliance cannot be placed on the rat uterotrophic assay for the detection and assessment of xenobiotic estrogens. Within that context the estrogenic activity of raloxifene has been reevaluated in immature and ovariectomized rat uterotrophic assays. Four separate experiments were conducted. In the first two a reproducible increase (1.7-fold) was observed in the uterus wet weights of immature rats administered three daily doses of raloxifene. The maximum uterotrophic response observed over the dose range 0.01-2 mg/kg was for 0.1 mg/kg raloxifene. Further experiments utilized three daily doses of 0.1 mg/kg raloxifene. In the third experiment the uterotrophic response elicited by raloxifene in immature rats was abolished by coadministration of the estrogen receptor blocking agent Faslodex (ICI 182,780). This confirmed the direct involvement of estrogen receptors in the uterotrophic response elicited by raloxifene. Two further indications of the estrogenicity of raloxifene were obtained in this experiment. First, dry uterus weights were also shown to be increased by raloxifene administration, thereby eliminating water retention as the sole cause of the observed increases in uterus weights. Second, the height of the surface epithelium was increased by 1.7-fold in the raloxifene-treated animals, an effect that was accompanied by increases in mitotic activity and glandular formation in the stromal endometrium. The endometrial epithelium of the treated rats also showed evidence of vacuolation and, occasionally, the presence of degenerating cells. Raloxifene did not, however, cause premature vaginal opening in immature rats, unlike estradiol. In the fourth experiment the uterotrophic activity of raloxifene was confirmed in ovariectomized rats, although the response was less (1.2-fold) than in immature rats. In contrast to the effects seen for the positive control agent estradiol, the uterotrophic responses observed for raloxifene in ovariectomized animals were not accompanied by cornification of the vaginal epithelium. Premature vaginal opening and vaginal cornification may be less sensitive markers of estrogenic activity than the uterotrophic response. These collected observations confirm that raloxifene exerts a genuine trophic effect on the rat uterus, and as a consequence, the uterotrophic assay can be relied upon to detect estrogens with only a marginal effect on the uterus.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9237325&dopt=Abstract raloxifene Evista



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Blockade of the stimulatory effect of estrogens, OH-tamoxifen, OH-toremifene, droloxifene, and raloxifene on alkaline phosphatase activity by the antiestrogen EM-800 in human endometrial adenocarcinoma Ishikawa cells.

Simard J, Sanchez R, Poirier D, Gauthier S, Singh SM, Merand Y, Belanger A, Labrie C, Labrie F.

Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology, CHUL Research Center, Quebec, Canada.

Although temporary benefits of tamoxifen therapy are observed in up to 40% of women with breast cancer, this compound, which is known to possess mixed estrogenic and antiestrogenic activities, has been associated with increased risk of endometrial carcinoma. This study compares the effects of the novel nonsteroidal pure antiestrogen EM-800 and related compounds with those of a series of antiestrogens on the estrogen-sensitive alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity in human endometrial adenocarcinoma Ishikawa cells. Exposure to increasing concentrations of up to 1000 nM EM-800 or its active metabolite EM-652 alone failed to affect basal AP activity. In contrast, incubation with 10 nM (Z)-4-OH-tamoxifen, (Z)-4-OH-toremifene, droloxifene, or raloxifene increased the value of this estrogen-sensitive parameter by 3.3-, 3.5-, 2.2-, and 1.6-fold, respectively, a stimulatory effect that was completely reversed by simultaneous exposure to 30 nM EM-800. Moreover, the stimulation of AP activity induced by 1 nM 17beta-estradiol was completely reversed by EM-800, EM-652, or ICI-182780, at the IC50 value of 1.98 +/- 0.23, 1.01 +/- 0.16, and 5.64 +/- 0.59 nM, respectively, whereas the partial blockade exerted by (Z)-4-OH-tamoxifen, (Z)-4-OH-toremifene, or raloxifene was observed at IC50 values of 13.5 +/- 3.80, 41.0 +/- 7.2, and 3.74 +/- 0.43 nM, respectively. Thus, as assessed by their activity in the human Ishikawa endometrial carcinoma cells, EM-800 and EM-652 are the most potent known antiestrogens in Ishikawa cells, and, most importantly, they are devoid of the estrogenic activity observed in these human endometrial cancer cells with (Z)-4-OH-tamoxifen, (Z)-4-OH-toremifene, droloxifene, and raloxifene.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9270018&dopt=Abstract raloxifene Evista



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Raloxifene inhibits aortic accumulation of cholesterol in ovariectomized, cholesterol-fed rabbits.

Bjarnason NH, Haarbo J, Byrjalsen I, Kauffman RF, Christiansen C.

Center for Clinical and Basic Research, Ballerup, Denmark.

BACKGROUND: The beneficial effect of long-term hormone replacement therapy in terms of a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease is now generally accepted. Raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, has demonstrated hypolipidemic properties while leaving the endometrium unstimulated. METHODS AND RESULTS: For our study of the effects of raloxifene on atherosclerosis, 75 rabbits were ovariectomized and treated with either raloxifene, 17beta-estradiol, or placebo; 25 rabbits were sham operated and treated with placebo. After 45 weeks, the raloxifene group had two thirds of the aortic atherosclerosis, as evaluated by the cholesterol content of the proximal inner part of the aorta, found in the placebo group (placebo, 577+/-55.1 nmol/mg protein; raloxifene, 397+/-53.6 nmol/mg protein; P<.05); the estrogen group had one third of the aortic atherosclerosis in the placebo group (estrogen, 177+/-32.1 nmol/mg protein; P<.001). The sham-operated group (473+/-59.6 nmol/mg protein) was not significantly different from placebo. These effects were only partly explained by the changes in serum lipids and lipoproteins, and treatment with both estrogen and raloxifene independently predicted the response in aorta cholesterol. Because plasma levels of total raloxifene were low relative to clinical values in postmenopausal women, dose-response data for raloxifene are required. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that raloxifene hydrochloride has a potentially important antiatherogenic effect, analogous to that observed with estrogen in this model.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9323087&dopt=Abstract raloxifene Evista