Diarylpropionitrile (DPN), also known as 2,3-bis(p-hydroxyphenyl)propionitrile (2,3-BHPPN), is a

synthetic Synthetic may refer to: Science * Synthetic biology * Synthetic chemical or compound, produced by the process of chemical synthesis * Synthetic elements, chemical elements that are not naturally found on Earth and therefore have to be created in ...

nonsteroidal A nonsteroidal compound is a drug that is not a steroid nor a steroid derivative. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are distinguished from corticosteroids as a class of anti-inflammatory agents. List of nonsteroidal steroid receptor mo ...

, and highly selective

agonist An agonist is a chemical that activates a Receptor (biochemistry), receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are Cell (biology), cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an R ...

ERβ Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) also known as NR3A2 (nuclear receptor subfamily 3, group A, member 2) is one of two main types of estrogen receptor—a nuclear receptor which is activated by the sex hormone estrogen. In humans ERβ is encoded by t ...

( IC₅₀ = 15 nM) that is used widely in

scientific research The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has been referred to while doing science since at least the 17th century. Historically, it was developed through the centuries from the ancient and medieval world. The ...

to study the function of this

receptor Receptor may refer to: * Sensory receptor, in physiology, any neurite structure that, on receiving environmental stimuli, produces an informative nerve impulse *Receptor (biochemistry), in biochemistry, a protein molecule that receives and respond ...

. It is 70-fold more selective for ERβ over

ERα Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), also known as NR3A1 (nuclear receptor subfamily 3, group A, member 1), is one of two main types of estrogen receptor, a nuclear receptor (mainly found as a chromatin-binding protein) that is activated by the se ...

, and has 100-fold lower

affinity Affinity may refer to: Commerce, finance and law * Affinity (law), kinship by marriage * Affinity analysis, a market research and business management technique * Affinity Credit Union, a Saskatchewan-based credit union * Affinity Equity Pa ...

for

GPER G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER), also known as G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''GPER'' gene. GPER binds to and is activated by the female sex hormone estradiol and is responsible ...

(GPR30) relative to

estradiol Estradiol (E2), also called oestrogen, oestradiol, is an estrogen steroid hormone and the major female sex hormone. It is involved in the regulation of female reproductive cycles such as estrous and menstrual cycles. Estradiol is responsible ...

. DPN produces

antidepressant Antidepressants are a class of medications used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain, and addiction. Common side effects of antidepressants include Xerostomia, dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, headaches, akathi ...

- and

anxiolytic An anxiolytic (; also antipanic or anti-anxiety agent) is a medication or other intervention that reduces anxiety. This effect is in contrast to anxiogenic agents which increase anxiety. Anxiolytic medications are used for the treatment of anxie ...

-like effects in animals via activation of the

endogenous Endogeny, in biology, refers to the property of originating or developing from within an organism, tissue, or cell. For example, ''endogenous substances'', and ''endogenous processes'' are those that originate within a living system (e.g. an ...

oxytocin Oxytocin is a peptide hormone and neuropeptide normally produced in the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary. Present in animals since early stages of evolution, in humans it plays roles in behavior that include Human bonding, ...

system. First reported in 2001, DPN was the first selective ERβ agonist to be discovered, and was followed by

prinaberel Prinaberel (International Nonproprietary Name, INN, United States Adopted Name, USAN) (developmental code names ERB-041, WAY-202041) is a synthetic compound, synthetic, nonsteroidal, and highly binding selectivity, selective agonist of the estrog ...

(ERB-041, WAY-202041),

WAY-200070 WAY-200070 is a synthetic compound, synthetic, nonsteroidal, highly binding selectivity, selective agonist of ERβ. It possesses 68-fold selectivity for ERβ over ERα (EC50, EC50 = 2 nM and 155 nM, respectively). WAY-200070 has been found to enh ...

, and

8β-VE2 8β-VE2, or 8β-vinylestradiol, also known as 8β-vinylestra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3β,17β-diol, is a synthetic compound, synthetic estrogen (medication), estrogen featuring an estradiol (medication), estradiol core. It is a highly potency (pharmacol ...

in 2004,

ERB-196 ERB-196, also known as WAY-202196, is a synthetic nonsteroidal estrogen that acts as a highly selective agonist of the ERβ Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) also known as NR3A2 (nuclear receptor subfamily 3, group A, member 2) is one of two m ...

(WAY-202196) in 2005, and certain

phytoestrogen A phytoestrogen is a plant-derived xenoestrogen (a type of estrogen produced by organisms other than humans) not generated within the endocrine system, but consumed by eating plants or manufactured foods. Also called a "dietary estrogen", it ...

s like

liquiritigenin Liquiritigenin is a flavanone that was isolated from ''Glycyrrhiza uralensis'', and is found in a variety of plants of the Glycyrrhiza genus, including ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'' (licorice). It is an estrogenic compound which acts as a selective agoni ...

and nyasol (''cis''-hinokiresinol) since 2007. DPN is a

racemic In chemistry, a racemic mixture or racemate () is a mixture that has equal amounts (50:50) of left- and right-handed enantiomers of a chiral molecule or salt. Racemic mixtures are rare in nature, but many compounds are produced industrially as r ...

mixture of two

enantiomer In chemistry, an enantiomer (Help:IPA/English, /ɪˈnænti.əmər, ɛ-, -oʊ-/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''ih-NAN-tee-ə-mər''), also known as an optical isomer, antipode, or optical antipode, is one of a pair of molecular entities whi ...

s, (R)-DPN and (S)-DPN. Relative to (R)-DPN, (S)-DPN has between 3- and 7-fold higher

for ERβ and appears to have higher

intrinsic activity Intrinsic activity (IA) and efficacy (Emax) refer to the relative ability of a drug- receptor complex to produce a maximum functional response. This must be distinguished from the affinity, which is a measure of the ability of the drug to bind ...

in activating ERβ. However, both enantiomers have very high affinity, potency, selectivity for ERβ and efficaciously activate ERβ. In any case, it has been suggested that (S)-DPN might be the preferred enantiomer to use for

References

GPER agonists Nitriles 4-Hydroxyphenyl compounds Selective ERβ agonists {{genito-urinary-drug-stub

See also

References