Synthesis and biochemical evaluation of a range of sulfonated derivatives of 4-hydroxybenzyl imidazole as highly potent inhibitors of rat testicular 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (P-450 17α)

We report the synthesis and biochemical evaluation of a range of 4-sulfonated derivatives of 4-hydroxybenzyl imidazole targetted against 17α-hydroxylase (17α-OHase) and 17,20-lyase (lyase). Results suggest that the compounds are highly potent inhibitors of the lyase component in comparison to ketoconazole (KTZ). We report the synthesis and biochemical evaluation of a range of 4-sulfonated derivatives of 4-hydroxybenzyl imidazole which has been targetted against the two components of 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (P-450 17α), namely, 17α-hydroxylase (17α-OHase) and 17,20-lyase (lyase). The results from the biochemical testing suggest that the compounds synthesised are highly potent inhibitors possessing excellent selectivity towards the lyase component.