Pregnenolones

Steroid Hormones and Neurosteroids. Steroids (qv) can affect neuroendocrine function, stress responses, and behavioral sexual dimorphism (78,79) (see Steroids). Mineralocorticoid, glucocorticoid, androgen, estrogen, and progesterone receptors are localized in the brain and spinal cord. In addition to genomic actions, the neurosteroid can act more acutely to modulate the actions of other receptors or ion channels (80). Pregnenolone [145-13-17, ( ) dehydroepiandosterone [53-43-0] C H2 02 (319) are excitatory neurosteroids found in rat brain, independent of adrenal... 

The conversion of cholesterol (2) to pregnenolone [145-13-1] (78) is accomplished primarily through enzymatic systems in the adrenocortical and gonadal mitochondria. This conversion appears to be rate-limiting and therefore is regarded as the control point for the entire steroid hormone... 

Pregnenolone (88) is dehydrogenated by DDQ in refluxing dioxane. The reaction proceeds via the intermediates (89) and (90). This procedure is from a general description lacking specific details. ... 

Pregnenolone acetate (111) is brominated to give the intermediate 7-bromo compound (112). This is dehydrobrominated in collidine to yield the title... 

The addition of HF to the 5,6-double bond in 3-hydroxy-A -steroids has been investigated intensively. Bowers et al. prepared the 5oc-fluoro derivative (32) from pregnenolone acetate (31) in 10 % yield using methylene dichloride-THF as solvent at 0°. Pregnenolone itself is converted in 30%... 

In the early 1930 s, when the prime research aim was the commercial synthesis of the sex hormones (whose structures had just been elucidated), the principal raw material available was cholesterol extracted from the spinal cord or brain of cattle or from sheep wool grease. This sterol (as its 3-acetate 5,6-dibromide) was subjected to a rather drastic chromic acid oxidation, which produced a variety of acidic, ketonic and hydroxylated products derived mainly by attack on the alkyl side-chain. The principal ketonic material, 3j -hydroxyandrost-5-en-17-one, was obtained in yields of only about 7% another useful ketone, 3 -hydroxypregn-5-en-20-one (pregnenolone) was obtained in much lower yield. The chief acidic product was 3j -hydroxy-androst-5-ene-17j -carboxylic acid. All three of these materials were then further converted by various chemical transformations into steroid hormones and synthetic analogs ... 

Ci9 — C21 pregnenolone (addition of 1 carbon side-chain to 17-keto steroid via cyanohydrin, then 1 additional carbon via methyl Grignard reagent)... 

The contradictory observations that 16-dehydropregnenolone oxime fails to rearrange with phosphorus oxychloride while pregnenolone oxime undergoes the normal reaction " remain unexplained. The respective 3-acetates in both series rearrange in the expected fashion. 

Overall yields of 37% from pregnenolone acetate to 19-norprogesterone and of 43% from 3 -acetoxy-5a-chloro-6l5-hydroxy androstan-17-one to A io)-19-norandrostene-3,17-dioneii have been reported using 6)5,19-ethers as key intermediates. 

Hydrolysis of the acetate (71) followed by Oppenauer oxidation gives B-norcholest-4-en-3-one in high yield. An analogous reaction sequence can be used to prepare B-norprogesterone and derivatives of B-nortestosterone from pregnenolone acetate and dehydroepiandrosterone acetate, respectively."" ... 

Ozonization of A -steroids usually gives complex mixtures (however, see ref. 48). Ozonolysis became a practical step in the general synthesis of B-norsteroids with the discovery that added methanol" (or formaldehyde ) improves yields significantly. Thus, Tanabe and Morisawa prepared 5/ -hydroxy-6/ -formyl-B-norsteroids (74) from cholesterol acetate, dehydroepiandrosterone acetate and pregnenolone acetate in overall yields of 64-74% by the reaction sequence represented below. 

FIGURE 25.43 The steroid hormones are synthesized from cholesterol, with intermediate formation of pregnenolone and progesterone. Testosterone, the principal male sex hormone steroid, is a precursor to /3-estradiol. Cortisol, a glucocorticoid, and aldosterone, a mineralocorticoid, are also derived from progesterone. 

Pregnenolone and Progesterone Are the Precursors of All Other Steroid Hormones... 

Pregnenolone is transported from the mitochondria to the ER, where a hydroxyl oxidation and migration of the double bond yield progesterone. Pregnenolone synthesis in the adrenal cortex is activated by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), a peptide of 39 amino acid residues secreted by the anterior pituitary gland. 

Allylic bromination of pregnenolone acetate with dibromodi-methylhydantoin affords the 7-bromo compound (155) of undefined stereochemistry. Dehydrobromination by means of collidine followed by saponification affords the 5,7 endocyclic cis,cis-diene, 156. This compound contains the same chromophore as ergosterol, a steroid used as a vitamin D precursor. The latter displays a complex series of photochemical reactions among the known products is lumisterol, in which the stereochemistry at both C9 and Cio is inverted. Indeed, irradiation of 156 proceeds to give just such a product (158). This reaction can be rationalized by... 

Deletion of the 17a-hydroxy group similarly leads to an effective topical antiinflammatory agent. Treatment of 16a-methylpregnenolone (244) (obtained by conjugate addition of an organometallic to pregnenolone) sequentially with bromine and acetate ion affords the 21 acetate, 245 (see, for example, the transformation of 196 to 198). In an interesting variation on the method for the introduction of a fluorine atom at 6, the... 

Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Megestrol Acetate Melengestrol Acetate Norethindrone Pregnenolone Acetate Progesterone... 

Pregnenolone acetate reduction with lithium aluminum tn t butoxy hydride, 46, 58... 

Potassium ferricyanide in oxidative decarboxylation, 40, 86 Potassium permanganate for oxidation of (trialkylmethyl)amines to tri-alkylnitromethanes, 43,87 Pregnenolone acetate, conversion to 3/3-acetoxyetienic acid, 42, 5 Propane, 2,2-dibotoxy-, 42,1 Propargylsuccinic anhydride, by-product in addition of maleic anhydride to allcne, 43, 27... 

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