Triphenylethylene
Triphenylethylene is a simple aromatic hydrocarbon that possesses weak estrogenic activity. Its estrogenic effects were discovered in 1937. TPE was derived from structural modification of the more potent estrogen diethylstilbestrol, which is a member of the stilbestrol group of nonsteroidal estrogens.
TPE is the parent compound of a group of nonsteroidal estrogen receptor ligands. It includes the estrogens chlorotrianisene, desmethylchlorotrianisene, estrobin, M2613, triphenylbromoethylene, triphenylchloroethylene, triphenyliodoethylene, triphenylmethylethylene; the selective estrogen receptor modulators afimoxifene, brilanestrant, broparestrol, clomifene, clomifenoxide, droloxifene, endoxifen, etacstil, fispemifene, idoxifene, miproxifene, miproxifene phosphate, nafoxidine, ospemifene, panomifene, and toremifene. The antiestrogen ethamoxytriphetol is also closely related, but is technically not a derivative of TPE and is instead a triphenylethanol derivative. The tamoxifen metabolite and aromatase inhibitor norendoxifen is also a TPE derivative. In addition to their estrogenic activity, various TPE derivatives like tamoxifen and clomifene have been found to act as protein kinase C inhibitors.
