Potent inhibitors of equine steroid isomerase EcaGST A3-3

PLoS One. 2019 Mar 21;14(3):e0214160. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214160. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Equine glutathione transferase A3-3 (EcaGST A3-3) belongs to the superfamily of detoxication enzymes found in all higher organisms. However, it is also the most efficient steroid double-bond isomerase known in mammals. Equus ferus caballus shares the steroidogenic pathway with Homo sapiens, which makes the horse a suitable animal model for investigations of human steroidogenesis. Inhibition of the enzyme has potential for treatment of steroid-hormone-dependent disorders. Screening of a library of FDA-approved drugs identified 16 out of 1040 compounds, which at 10 μM concentration afforded at least 50% inhibition of EcaGST A3-3. The most potent inhibitors, anthralin, sennoside A, tannic acid, and ethacrynic acid, were characterized by IC50 values in the submicromolar range when assayed with the natural substrate Δ5-androstene-3,17-dione.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anthralin / pharmacology
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Ethacrynic Acid / pharmacology
  • Glutathione Transferase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Glutathione Transferase / metabolism
  • Horses
  • Sennosides / pharmacology
  • Substrate Specificity
  • Tannins / pharmacology

Substances

  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Sennosides
  • Tannins
  • Glutathione Transferase
  • Ethacrynic Acid
  • Anthralin

Grants and funding

This work was supported by (BM) Swedish Research Council, https://www.vr.se/english.html; Swedish Cancer Society, https://www.cancerfonden.se/om-cancerfonden/about-the-swedish-cancer-society. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.