Oral treatment with HE3286 ameliorates disease in rodent models of rheumatoid arthritis

HE3286 (17 alpha-ethynyl-5-androsterone-3 beta, 7 beta, 17 beta-triol) is an orally bio-available synthetic derivative of naturally occurring androstene-3 beta, 7 beta, 17 beta-triol Our present data show that oral treatment with HE3286, favourably influenced the course of arthritis in the rat model of adjuvant-induced arthritis (reduced Cumulative disease scores and paw edema), and Ill the mouse model of collagen antibody-induced arthritis (reduced clinical paw scores). Importantly, HE3286 was not immune suppressive in human mixed lymphocyte reaction or in animals challenged with Coxsackie B3 virus HE3286 currently in phase I/II clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis and these findings further strengthen the possibility that HE3286 may represent an effective anti-inflammatory agent useful for treating chronic inflammation with a more attractive safety profile than glucocorticoids or cyclooxygenase inhibitors.