Indole and benzimidazole derivatives as steroid 5alpha-reductase inhibitors in the rat prostate.

A novel series of indole and benzimidazole derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activity of rat prostatic 5alpha-reductase. Among these compounds, 4-¿2-[1-(4,4'-dipropylbenzhydryl)indole-5-carboxamido]phenoxy¿buty ric acid (15) and its benzimidazole analogue 25 showed potent inhibitory activities for rat prostatic 5alpha-reductase (IC50 values of 9.6+/-1.0 and 13+/-1.5 nM, respectively), with the potency very close to that of finasteride. Compound 30, in which the moiety between the benzene ring and amide bond was replaced by quinolin-4-one ring, showed almost equipotent activity (IC50= 19+/-6.2nM) with the correspondent amide derivative 13. This result was consistent with the previous observation that the coplanarity of this moiety might contribute to the potent inhibitory activity.