Gestonorone caproate was discovered in 1960 and was introduced for medical use by 1973.[14][15] It has been used widely throughoutEurope, including in theUnited Kingdom, and has also been marketed in certain other countries such asJapan,China, andMexico.[1][16][17][18] However, it has since mostly been discontinued, and it remains available today only in a handful of countries, including theCzech Republic, Japan, Mexico, andRussia.[18][19]
Like other potent progestins, gestonorone caproate possesses potentantigonadotropic activity and is capable of markedly suppressing thegonadal production and circulating levels of sex hormones such astestosterone andestradiol.[13][27][28] A clinical study found that 400 mg/week intramuscular gestonorone caproate suppressed testosterone levels by 75% in men, whileorchiectomy as a comparator reduced testosterone levels by 91%.[29][30] Levels ofluteinizing hormone, conversely, remained unchanged.[29] In general, progestogens can maximally suppress testosterone levels by about 70 to 80%.[31][32][33][29][30] In accordance with its lack of glucocorticoid activity, gestonorone caproate has noanticorticotropic effects, and does not influence thesecretion ofadrenocorticotropic hormone.[5]
17α-Hydroxyprogesterone has weakprogestogenic activity, but C17αesterification results in higher progestogenic activity.[6] Of a variety of differentesters, thecaproate (hexanoate) ester was found to have the strongest progestogenic activity, and this formed the basis for the development of gestonorone caproate, as well as other caproateprogestogen esters such as hydroxyprogesterone caproate.[6]
Gestonorone caproate has been found to decrease the weights of theprostate gland andseminal vesicles by 40 to 70% in adult male rats.[5] It has been shown incanines to mediate these effects both via its antigonadotropic effects and by direct actions in these tissues.[5] Gestonorone caproate decreases the uptake of testosterone into the prostate gland.[5] It has also been found to have directantiproliferative effects on humanovarian cancercellsin vitro.[5]
Gestonorone caproate has been reported to act to some extent as a5α-reductase inhibitor, similarly to progesterone.[34][35]
Like the closely related progestins hydroxyprogesterone caproate and19-norprogesterone, gestonorone caproate shows poor activityorally and must be administeredparenterally; specifically, viaintramuscular injection.[4] Gestonorone caproate is administered by intramuscular injection, and acts as a long-lastingdepot by this route.[5][55][56][57] After an intramuscular injection, gestonorone caproate is completely released from the local depot and is highlybioavailable.[5] A singleintramuscular injection of 25 to 50 mg gestonorone caproate inoil solution has been found to have aduration of action of 8 to 13 days in terms of clinicalbiological effect in theuterus in women.[26][58][59] At high doses, theduration of action of gestonorone caproate by intramuscular injection has been found to be at least 21 days.[5] Clinical studies have found gestonorone caproate to be satisfactorily effective as a progestogen when injected once a month, whereas it was poorly effective as an injectable contraceptive when it was injected once every two months.[60][61]
Following a single intramuscular injection of 200 mgradiolabeled gestonorone caproate in 1 mL ofsolution in men with prostate cancer,maximal levels of gestonorone caproate occurred after 3 ± 1 days and were 420 ± 160 ng/mL.[5] Theelimination half-life of gestonorone caproate and itsmetabolites was 7.5 ± 3.1 days.[5] Approximately 5% of theradioactivesteroid content in the blood was unchanged gestonorone caproate.[5] No freegestonorone was observed incirculation or inurine.[5] Gestonorone caproate and its metabolites wereeliminated 72% infeces and 28% inurine.[5][62] Approximately 48 ± 18% of the injected dose had been eliminated after 14 days and approximately 85 ± 12% of the injected dose had been excreted after 30 days.[5]
Themetabolism of unesterified gestonorone (17α-hydroxy-19-norprogesterone) is analogous to that of17α-hydroxyprogesterone, with the corresponding19-norpregnanemetabolites produced.[6] Gestonorone caproate has been found to undergo5α-reduction similarly toprogesterone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, and gestonorone, and at a similar rate as thesesteroids.[6] Conversely however, due to its caproate ester,5β-reduction of gestonorone caproate is decreased relative to these steroids.[6] As progesterone ismetabolized mainly into5β-pregnanes, decreased 5β-reduction of gestonorone caproate may be involved in its greaterpotency compared to progesterone.[6] The majormetabolites of gestonorone caproate have been reported to beisomers of 19-norpregnanetriol and 19-norpregnanediol-20-one.[6][21] These metabolites indicate that gestonorone caproate is metabolized mainly byreduction at the C3, C5, and C20 positions.[6] Following an intramuscular injection of 300 mg gestonorone caproate, only a slight increase inurinarypregnanetriolexcretion has been observed.[6]Cleavage of the caproate ester of gestonorone caproate is minimal, which indicates that it is not aprodrug of the unesterified steroid.[6]
Gestonorone caproate is thegeneric name of the drug and itsINNTooltip International Nonproprietary Name,USANTooltip United States Adopted Name, andJANTooltip Japanese Accepted Name, whilegestronol hexanoate is itsBANMTooltip British Approved Name.[63][16] It has also been referred to asnorhydroxyprogesterone caproate, and is also known by its former developmental code namesSH-582 andSH-80582.[63][16][17]
Gestonorone caproate was studied in the treatment ofprostate cancer in men at a dosage of 400 mg per week by intramuscular injection but, in contrast to the case ofbenign prostatic hyperplasia, was found to be ineffective.[66][67]
SH-834 was a combination of 90 mgestradiol valerate and 300 mg gestonorone caproate for weekly intramuscular injection that was developed by Schering in the 1960s and 1970s.[68][22][69] It was investigated clinically as a treatment forbreast cancer and was found to be effective.[68][70][69] However, its effectiveness was found to be no better than that of anestrogen alone, and the combination was ultimately never marketed.[71]
^abcBreuer H, Lisboa BP (January 1966). "[Studies on the metabolism of 17-alpha-hydroxy-19-norprogesterone caproate by humans in vivo and of 17-alpha-hydroxy-19-norprogesterone by rats in vitro]" [Studies on the metabolism of 17-alpha-hydroxy-19-norprogesterone caproate by humans in vivo and of 17-alpha-hydroxy-19-norprogesterone by rats in vitro].Acta Endocrinologica (in German).51 (1):114–130.doi:10.1530/acta.0.0510114.PMID4285463.
^abcHorský J, Presl J (1981)."Genital Cycle". In Horsky J, Presl J (eds.).Ovarian Function and its Disorders: Diagnosis and Therapy. Developments in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 70–129.doi:10.1007/978-94-009-8195-9_11.ISBN978-94-009-8195-9.Gestonorone caproate is a depot gestagen, five times more potent than 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate.
^abcdeAubrey DA, Khosla T (September 1971). "The effect of 17-alpha-hydroxy-19-norprogesterone caproate (SH582) on benign prostatic hypertrophy".The British Journal of Surgery.58 (9):648–652.doi:10.1002/bjs.1800580904.PMID4105896.S2CID40905771.
^abKaiser R (1960). "Klinische Erfahrungen mit Norprogesteronderivaten".ZBL. Gynäk.82: 2009.
^abSubbiah N, Mortensen J (February 1973). "The treatment of benign enlargement of the prostate with nor progesterone caproate (primostat)".The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery.42 (3):304–307.doi:10.1111/j.1445-2197.1973.tb06805.x.PMID4129814.
^abcFerguson MM, McKay Hart D, Lindsay R, Stephen KW (October 1978). "Progeston therapy for menstrually related aphthae".International Journal of Oral Surgery.7 (5):463–470.doi:10.1016/S0300-9785(78)80038-6.PMID102602.
^abMoe N (1972). "Short-term progestogen treatment of endometrial carcinoma. Histological, histochemical and hormonal studies".Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica.51 (1):55–62.doi:10.3109/00016347209154968.PMID4261828.S2CID7181971.Thirteen patients with primary adenocarcinoma of the uterine corpus were treated for 21 days with 17alpha-hydroxy-progesterone-caproate (Primolut Depot®, Schering), 1000 mg daily, or 17alpha-hydroxy-19-nor-progesterone-caproate (Depostat®, Schering), 200 mg daily. These doses can be considered as equivalent.
^Jürgensen O, Taubert HD (February 1969). "[Clinical observations on the effect of depot gestagen 17 alpha-hydroxy-19-nor-progesterone caproate in women with eumenorrhea]" [Clinical observations on the effect of the depot gestagen 17α-hydroxy-19-nor-progesterone capronate in women with eumenorrhea].Klinische Wochenschrift.47 (3):162–165.doi:10.1007/BF01746052.PMID5369019.S2CID41105630.
^Makrigiannis D, Gaca A (1971). "Evaluation of Depostat in prostatic adenoma on the ground of clinical and sphincterotonometric studies".International Urology and Nephrology.3 (1):21–29.doi:10.1007/BF02081794.PMID4117491.S2CID7679705.
^abcSander S, Nissen-Meyer R, Aakvaag A (1978). "On gestagen treatment of advanced prostatic carcinoma".Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology.12 (2):119–121.doi:10.3109/00365597809179977.PMID694436.
^abKjeld JM, Puah CM, Kaufman B, Loizou S, Vlotides J, Gwee HM, et al. (November 1979). "Effects of norgestrel and ethinyloestradiol ingestion on serum levels of sex hormones and gonadotrophins in men".Clinical Endocrinology.11 (5):497–504.doi:10.1111/j.1365-2265.1979.tb03102.x.PMID519881.S2CID5836155.Another synthetic gestogen, 17-hydroxy-19-norprogesterone caproate (Depostat-Schering), 400 mg by i.m. weekly injections suppressed T levels to 25% of pretreatment values (Sander er al., 1978).
^Knuth UA, Hano R, Nieschlag E (November 1984). "Effect of flutamide or cyproterone acetate on pituitary and testicular hormones in normal men".The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.59 (5):963–969.doi:10.1210/jcem-59-5-963.PMID6237116.
^Jacobi GH, Altwein JE, Kurth KH, Basting R, Hohenfellner R (June 1980). "Treatment of advanced prostatic cancer with parenteral cyproterone acetate: a phase III randomised trial".British Journal of Urology.52 (3):208–215.doi:10.1111/j.1464-410x.1980.tb02961.x.PMID7000222.
^Orestano F, Altwein JE (December 1976). "Testosterone metabolism in benign prostatic hypertrophy: in vivo studies of gestonorone caproate and cyproterone acetate".British Journal of Urology.48 (6):485–491.doi:10.1111/j.1464-410X.1976.tb06687.x.PMID64267.
^Orestano F, Altwein JE, Knapstein P, Bandhauer K (June 1975). "Mode of action of progesterone, gestonorone capronate (Depostat) and cyproterone acetate (Androcur) on the metabolism of testosterone in human prostatic adenoma: in vitro and in vivo investigations".Journal of Steroid Biochemistry.6 (6):845–851.doi:10.1016/0022-4731(75)90313-1.PMID1177428.
^Henzl MR, Edwards JA (10 November 1999). "Pharmacology of Progestins: 17α-Hydroxyprogesterone Derivatives and Progestins of the First and Second Generation". In Sitruk-Ware R, Mishell DR (eds.).Progestins and Antiprogestins in Clinical Practice. Taylor & Francis. pp. 101–132.ISBN978-0-8247-8291-7.
^Becker H, Düsterberg B, Klosterhalfen H (1980). "[Bioavailability of cyproterone acetate after oral and intramuscular application in men (author's transl)]" [Bioavailability of Cyproterone Acetate after Oral and Intramuscular Application in Men].Urologia Internationalis.35 (6):381–385.doi:10.1159/000280353.PMID6452729.
^Moltz L, Haase F, Schwartz U, Hammerstein J (May 1983). "[Treatment of virilized women with intramuscular administration of cyproterone acetate]" [Efficacy of Intra muscularly Applied Cyproterone Acetate in Hyperandrogenism].Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde.43 (5):281–287.doi:10.1055/s-2008-1036893.PMID6223851.
^Chu YH, Li Q, Zhao ZF (April 1986)."Pharmacokinetics of megestrol acetate in women receiving IM injection of estradiol-megestrol long-acting injectable contraceptive".The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.The results showed that after injection the concentration of plasma MA increased rapidly. The meantime of peak plasma MA level was 3rd day, there was a linear relationship between log of plasma MA concentration and time (day) after administration in all subjects, elimination phase half-life t1/2β = 14.35 ± 9.1 days.
^Denis L (6 December 2012).The Medical Management of Prostate Cancer. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 112–.ISBN978-3-642-73238-6.Gestonorone caproate, another progestational agent, was investigated at our institution. Eighteen patients with painful metastatic [prostate cancer] with objective relapse after orchiectomy were treated with 400 mg/week i.m.
^Palanca E, Juco W (2008). "Conservative treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia".Current Medical Research and Opinion.4 (7):513–520.doi:10.1185/03007997709109342.PMID66118.S2CID31798723.A study was carried out in 30 male patients with benign prostate hyperplasia to assess the effectiveness of treatment with a progestational agent, gestonorone caproate (200 mg), given intramuscularly every 7 days over a period of 2 to 3 months.
^Nevinny-Stickel J (1962). "Die gestagene Wirkung von Hydroxy-nor-Progesteronestern bei der Frau".Gewebs- und Neurohormone [The progestational effects of hydroxy-nor-progesterone esters in women]. Symposion der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Endokrinologie. Springer. pp. 248–255.doi:10.1007/978-3-642-86860-3_27.ISBN978-3-540-02909-0.Das Hydroxy-nor-Progesteron-Capronat stand in öliger Lösung zm intramuskulären Injektion zur Verfügung. Die Wirkungsdauer betrug 10-13 Tage. Nach Verabreichung von 25 mg waren als beginnende Sekretionszeichen (1) an den geschlängelten Drüsen basale Vacuolen der Epithelien zu sehen. Eine volle Umwandlung der Schleimhaut erfolgte erst auf 50 mg des Capronsäureesters (Abb. l und 2).
^abLindsay R, Hart DM, Purdie D, Ferguson MM, Clark AS, Kraszewski A (February 1978). "Comparative effects of oestrogen and a progestogen on bone loss in postmenopausal women".Clinical Science and Molecular Medicine.54 (2):193–195.doi:10.1042/cs0540193.PMID340117.S2CID1799407.
^abcToppozada M (June 1977). "The clinical use of monthly injectable contraceptive preparations".Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey.32 (6):335–347.doi:10.1097/00006254-197706000-00001.PMID865726.
^Nagel R, Kolb K, Kroemer C, Maksimović P, Laudahn G (1973). "Verteilungsstudien und pharmakokinetische Parameter nach i.m. Gabe von Gestonoron-capronat (Depostat) und Cyproteron-acetat (Androcur) beim Menschen".24. Tagung vom 13. Bis 16. September 1972 in Hannover [Distribution studies and pharmacokinetic parameters after i.m. administration of gestonoron-capronate (Depostat) and cyproterone-acetate (Androcur) in man]. Verhandlungsbericht der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Urologie. Vol. 24. pp. 133–138.doi:10.1007/978-3-642-80738-1_36.ISBN978-3-540-06186-1.ISSN0070-413X.
^Sander S, Nissen-Meyer R, Aakvaag A (1977). "On gestagen treatment of advanced prostatic carcinoma".Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology.12 (2):119–121.doi:10.3109/00365597809179977.PMID694436.
^abNotter G, Berndt G (October 1975). "Hormonal treatment of mammary carcinoma with Progynon-Depot and Depostat".Acta Radiologica.14 (5):433–442.doi:10.3109/02841867509132684.PMID1202923.
^Berndt G, Stender HS (November 1970). "[The combined estrogen-gestagen treatment of metastasizing mammary carcinoma using with SH 834]".Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift.95 (48): 2399+.doi:10.1055/s-0028-1108843.PMID5529652.S2CID70908169.
^Firusian N, Schietzel M (September 1976). "[Additive treatment of metastasizing breast cancer with special reference to postmenopausal age (results of a randomized study)]" [Additive treatment of metastasizing breast cancer with special reference to postmenopausal age (results of a randomized study)].Strahlentherapie (in German).152 (3):235–247.PMID968923.
^Guthrie D (July 1979). "The treatment of advanced cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary with gestronol and continuous oral cyclophosphamide".British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.86 (7):497–500.doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.1979.tb10799.x.PMID476014.S2CID31408925.