The cellular mechanism of the antiandrogenic action of nomegestrol acetate, a new 19-nor progestagen, on the rat prostate

Abstract

Abstract. Nomegestrol acetate, like other synthetic progestins such as medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), chlormadinone acetate, megestrol acetate and cyproterone acetate, is able to modify the physiological actions of androgens. In the present study, the effects of nomegestrol acetate and other antiandrogens on the binding of androgen to the androgen receptor (AR) and on the 'activation' of this receptor were investigated, using rat ventral prostate as target model. Relative binding affinities (RBA) for AR were first estimated in vitro with respect to [3H]testosterone for a series of structurally-related compounds. The values obtained ranged as follows: dihydrotestosterone (DHT) » megestrol acetate ≥ testosterone (T) > nomegestrol acetate > 19-nor progesterone (19NP) > progesterone (P). An assay was established, using two different incubation times (3 h and 24 h) to further investigate relationships between binding affinity and androgenic, or antiandrogenic, activity. The following order (as %) was obtained for progestins as against [3H]mibolerone (DMNT): 1) DMNT (100) » acetate (42) > megestrol acetate (29) > chlormadinone acetate (9) > MPA (8) > cyproterone acetate (6) after 3 h and 2) DMNT (100) » MPA (53) » nomegestrol acetate (19) > megestrol acetate (12) > chlormadinone acetate (14) and cyproterone acetate (8) after 24 h. Since the RBA of nomegestrol acetate declined with time, these results indicate that this substance may act like an antiandrogen rather than an androgen, while the contrary prevails concerning MPA. The effects of these progestins, administered either alone or in combination with DHT to the animals, on the location (nuclear or cytosolic) of AR were also analyzed. DHT (0.05 or 4 mg/kg) produced maximal nuclear location of AR. Of the progestins tested, only MPA and norethisterone acetate reproduced this effect, while other steroids were ineffective. Furthermore, cyproterone acetate, megestrol acetate and nomegestrol acetate were able to inhibit to a large extent the DHT-elicited effect. The evidence from these studies suggests that the new compound nomegestrol acetate may oppose the actions of androgens on ventral prostate by directly interacting with the androgen receptor.