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-45017α)

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).