5 Alpha-Reductase Inhibition by a New Synthetic Steroid (PM-9) in Cultures of Penicillium Crustosum
January 2002
in “
PubMed
”
TLDR PM-9, like finasteride, may help treat certain diseases by blocking a key enzyme.
The study demonstrated that both finasteride and a new synthetic steroid, PM-9, inhibited the 5 alpha-reductase enzyme in cultures of Penicillium crustosum in a competitive manner. This enzyme is responsible for converting testosterone to 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a process implicated in androgen-dependent diseases like benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer. The inhibition was analyzed using Lineweaver-Burk plots, revealing a Km value of 0.22 microM and a Vmax of 0.833 pmol of DHT/mg of mycelium/day. The findings suggested that PM-9, like finasteride, could potentially mitigate these illnesses by preventing the formation of the DHT-receptor complex.
