Novel ligands of steroid hormone receptors

The development of novel ligands for steroid hormone receptors has become a burgeoning field with tremendous potential in numerous human therapies. Novel structures offer the advantage of greatly improved proprietary position, as well as the potential for highly selective compounds with fewer side effects and reduced metabolic liabilities. This opinion details the recent progress in the area of non-steroidal ligands of the principal steroid receptors. Published intellectual property associated with established areas such as oestrogen and androgen receptors have been updated, and new patents detailing ligands for progesterone, glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors are also discussed. A wide variety of structures are disclosed along with data in comparison with steroidal references. These novel structural families have strong potential, and these compounds will likely grow into complementary pharmacophores of defined function and enhanced therapeutic utility.