science

MK-386

MK-386 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MK-386 rather than just read about it. In short: MK-386, also known as 4,7β-dimethyl-4-aza-5α-cholestan-3-one, is a synthetic, steroidal 5α-reductase inhibitor which was first reported in 1994 and was never marketed. It is a 4-azasteroid and a potent and selective inhibitor of 5α-reductase type I and shows high selectivity for inhibition of human 5α-reductase type I over 5α-reductase type II, with IC50 values of 0.9 nM and 154 nM, respectively.

Key takeaways

MK-386 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MK-386 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MK-386 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

MK-386, also known as 4,7β-dimethyl-4-aza-5α-cholestan-3-one, is a synthetic, steroidal 5α-reductase inhibitor which was first reported in 1994 and was never marketed. It is a 4-azasteroid and a potent and selective inhibitor of 5α-reductase type I and shows high selectivity for inhibition of human 5α-reductase type I over 5α-reductase type II, with IC50 values of 0.9 nM and 154 nM, respectively. The drug was under investigation for potential treatment of androgen-dependent conditions such as acne and pattern hair loss (androgenic alopecia or baldness), but was discontinued in early clinical trials due to observations of hepatotoxicity such as elevated liver enzymes. MK-386 has been found to decrease circulating concentrations of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in men by 20 to 30%, which is in accordance with the fact that 5α-reductase type II is responsible for 70 to 80% of DHT production while 5α-reductase type I is responsible for 20 to 30%. In contrast to MK-386, the selective 5α-reductase type II inhibitor finasteride has been found to decrease DHT levels by about 70%, while the non-selective 5α-reductase inhibitor dutasteride decreases DHT levels by up to 98%. Co-administration of MK-386 and finasteride was found to produce near-complete (~95%) suppression of circulating DHT levels. MK-386 has been found to significantly decrease concentrations of DHT in sebum, similarly to the selective 5α-reductase type II inhibitor finasteride. However, whereas finasteride results in only a modest reduction in sebum DHT levels of 15%, MK-386 has been found to produce a significantly greater reduction of 55%. While finasteride decreases semen DHT levels by approximately 88%, MK-386 has been found to have no effect on levels of DHT in semen. These findings are in accordance with the known tissue distribution of 5α-reductase isoforms. MK-386 was assessed in the treatment of acne but failed to separate from placebo in effectiveness and was significantly inferior to antibiotic therapy with minocycline. In addition, the addition of MK-386 to minocycline failed to increase effectiveness relative to minocycline alone. A study of MK-386 treatment for one year in stumptail macaques found that the drug failed to increase scalp hair weight in a model of androgenic alopecia, in contrast to finasteride.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MK-386

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MK-386 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MK-386 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MK-386 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MK-386

In research: MK-386 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MK-386 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MK-386 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 5α-Reductase inhibitors, Abandoned drugs, Cholestanes, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MK-386 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MK-386 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MK-386 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MK-386 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MK-386 in simple terms?

Why does MK-386 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MK-386?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MK-386.