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Reverse Yeast Two-hybrid System to Identify Mammalian Nuclear Receptor Residues that Interact with Ligands and/or Antagonists
Published on: November 15, 2013
Ketoconazole binds to the human androgen receptor
1Department of Internal Medicine, Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland.
Ketoconazole, an antifungal drug, binds to human androgen receptors (AR) in vitro, potentially explaining its side effects like decreased libido. This interaction was competitive but unlikely to occur at typical in vivo doses.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Pharmacology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Ketoconazole, an imidazole antifungal, causes androgen deficiency in men.
- Previous studies showed ketoconazole binds to glucocorticoid and vitamin D receptors, and sex steroid binding globulin (SSBG).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the in vitro binding of ketoconazole to human androgen receptors (AR).
Main Methods:
- Competition assays using [3H]methyltrienolone (R1881) and cultured human skin fibroblasts.
- Scatchard analysis to determine the nature of ketoconazole-AR interaction.
Main Results:
- Ketoconazole competitively binds to human AR with 50% displacement at 6.4 x 10^-5 M.
- The interaction is competitive, as shown by Scatchard analysis.
- Other imidazoles (clotrimazole, miconazole, fluconazole) did not interact with AR.
Conclusions:
- Ketoconazole binds competitively to human androgen receptors in vitro.
- This binding may contribute to observed androgen deficiency symptoms.
- Ketoconazole is a non-steroidal compound that binds to SSBG and steroid hormone receptors, suggesting common binding site features.
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