A new simple and high-yield synthesis of 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a potent androgen receptor agonist

We have devised an efficient procedure for the synthesis of 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) (1) starting from 3β-hydroxy-5α-androstan-17-one, providing the product in unprecedented 82% yield. A reported method of using toxic Jones reagent is replaced by milder oxidizing agent (NMO/TPAP) in the synthesis of a key intermediate 17β-[(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy]-5α-androstan-3-one (18). This new procedure is simple, does not require special apparatus/precautions or chromatographic purification in most of the steps.

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► Discovered unprecedented synthesis of 5α-dihydroandrosterone (DHT) in excellent yield.
► Novel procedure will provide easy access to DHT and important starting material for synthesis of novel drug-like compounds.
► Synthetic procedure may be suitable for large-scale industrial production.