Antihormonal properties of some new A-homo-B, 19-dinor steroids of the androstane series

The study investigated the antihormonal properties of new A-homo-B, 19-dinor steroids of the androstane series. Through solvolysis of Westphalen-type steroids with a leaving group in the position 6β, products of elimination, rearrangement, and fragmentation were prepared and converted to analogs of a compound known to promote hair growth. Compounds 11 to 13 demonstrated strong antiandrogenic activity in vivo, but this activity could not be explained by inhibition of 5α-reductase or strong binding to an androgen receptor.