AZD 4017 is an inhibitor of 11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1(11β-HSD1) (IC50: 7 nM).

11β-HSD1:7 nM

AZD 4017 exhibits significant inhibition of a crucial target tissue (IC50=0.002 μM), aligning well with its enzyme potency, suggesting its effectiveness in adipose tissue is not compromised by its acidic nature[1]. It demonstrates remarkable selectivity against related enzymes 11-βHSD2, 17β-HSD1, and 17β-HSD3 (all IC50>30 μM), while showing negligible activity towards glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors. Although AZD 4017 is highly potent against the human variant of 11β-HSD1, its efficacy significantly diminishes across species, excluding cynomolgous monkey (IC50=0.029 μM). Considering adipose tissue as a critical organ, the compound's ability to inhibit 11β-HSD1 activity has been confirmed in isolated human adipocytes from nondiabetic volunteers.

AZD 4017 exhibits dose-dependent inhibition of 11β-HSD1, with its effect being limited by lower potency against the mouse enzyme, restricting the scope of preclinical pharmacodynamic measurements. Increasing doses achieved a peak inhibition of roughly 70% at 1500 mg/kg, corresponding to 10×IC50 in mice, demonstrating the compound's efficacy in this model[1].