Androstadienone and Pherox patents

[**DONOTDELETE**]

There\'s been a lot of patent discussion buried in other threads so I thought I\'d start this new one. I found the rest of the estrene and -dienone patents from Pherox. They go way beyone any of the Erox Realm patents. I\'m going to list patent numbers here, and you can get full text from the US Patent and Trademark Office.

6,140,316 Estrene steroids as neurochemical initiators of change in human hypothalamic function and related pharmaceutical compositions
6,066,627 Steroids as neurochemical initiators of change in human blood levels of LH
6,057,439 Steroids as neurochemical stimulators of the VNO to alleviate symptoms of PMS and anxiety
5,994,568 Estrenes for inducing hypothalamic effects
5,994,333 Pregnane and cholane steroids as neurochemical initiators of change in human hypothalamic function and related pharmaceutical compositions and methods
5,969,168 Androstanes for inducing hypothalamic effects
5,962,443 19-nur-pregnane steroids as neurochemical initiators of change in human hypothalamic function
5,939,570 Estrenes for inducing hypothalamic effects
5,925,774 Estrenes for inducing hypothalamic effects
5,922,699 19-nor-cholane steroids as neurochemical initiators of change in human hypothalamic function
5,883,087 Androstane steroids as neurochemical initiators of change in human hypothalamic function and related pharmaceutical compositions and methods
5,783,571 Method of altering hypothalamic function by nasal administration of estrene steroids
5,633,392 Estrenes for inducing hypothalamic effects
5,563,131 Pregnane steroids as neurochemical initiators of change in human hypothalamic function and related pharmaceutical compositions and methods

Whew! All of the androstane patents mention androstadienol and all of it\'s relatives. The patents are for pharmaceutical use to alter hypothalamic function. They probably cover fragrances, and definately the \"chemistry kit\" type products. It sure sucks when someone patents the heck out of a natural chemical that our own bodies make.

Laney

[**DONOTDELETE**]

EXAMPLE 14

Psychophvsiological Effect of Androstane Stimulation of the VNO

The psychophysiological effect of Androstane stimulation of the VNO was measured by the coordinate administration of pheromone and questionnaire
evaluation of the subject before and after administration. The questionnaire included a panel of adjectives used as part of the standard Derogatis Sexual
Inventory evaluation.

The subjects were 40 women between the ages of 20 and 45, all in good health. The women were randomly assigned--20 exposed to placebo and 20
exposed to about 20 picograms of Androsta-4,16-dien-3-one, administered as described in Example 10, supra. Subjects were given a 70 item
questionnaire evaluating feeling states immediately before and 30 minutes after administration of either placebo or experimental substance. The 70
adjectives of the questionnaire were randomly administered and subsequently clustered for evaluation based on their relevance to each mood, feeling, or
character trait. The results were as follows: Changes in feelings of social warmth, personal well-being, arousal/excitement, and aggression, from before
administration to 30 minutes after administration, were not significant in those exposed to the 16-Androstene compared to the changes resulting from
administration of the control. However, the decrease in negative affect (nervous, tense, ashamed, anxious, irritable, angry, enraged--T-test: p<0.0001,
Anova: p<0.04), negative mood and character (sensitive, regretful, blameworthy, guilty, remorseful, sad, hopeless, resentful, worthless, miserable, unhappy,
bitter, timid--T-test: p<0.0004, Anova: p<0.06), and overall negativity (the combination of affect and character--T-test: p<0.0003, Anova: p<0.05) were
highly significant after 16-Androstene administration as compared to administration of the control.

Overall, these results suggest a sedative and/or anti-anxiety, and/or anti-depressant effect of Androsta-4,16-dien-3-one when administered intranasally.

[a.k.a.]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=\"1\" face=\"Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif\">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Laney:
It sure sucks when someone patents the heck out of a natural chemical that our own bodies make.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Makes you wonder what they\'ve got in mind for the human genome.

[ December 18, 2001: Message edited by: a.k.a. ]

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Quite honestly, you cannot patent a natural product (Carrots for instance.) But you can patent the use of a synthetically derived beta carotene to added into a product. It is a fine distinction, but something to keep in mind. Also, even if patented, there is no law against selling the product (compound.) There is an infringement if you are selling it as a product (fragrance.) There is another fine distiction. For instance, I could buy polymixin K, and some other bacterocins, mix with vasolene and get neosporin. But it is not illegal for me to do that. It is illegal for me to sell it after I have mixed it up as a competitive product. I don\'t claim to know why, but it\'s the little things. . .

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I just thought of something. . . Has anyone asked Stone Labs why they do not offer the pheros in question? Legal, patent infringement, bad karma, pain in the ass to obtain, etc? Seems to me that alerting the DEA about interest in anything is not exactly high on anyone?s list. But, Stone labs is a business that deals in this field, and it should not raise any bells, right? Maybe Bruce could ask, if they don\'t like our chatter. It was just a thought. They probably know all aspects of the legality of it. It might be insightful.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

From reading the Pherox patents, I think the sale of androsta-4,16-dien-3-one as a pheromone would be infringement. They are much more general than the original Realm patents.

Pretty much any use of -dienone, estrenes, and 19-nor-pregnanes has been patented for use to cause hypothalamic effects. Many other closely related compounds are included in the patents (which may or may not be enforceable - scattershot patents without sythesis methods for all of the compounds are notoriously weak).

The only players missing are androstenone, androstenol, androsterone, and copulins. They were probably considered public domain at the time the patent was written. Since pheromone effects appear to be hypothalamic, the patent includes use as a sexual attractant pheromone.

Laney

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Is that patent only in america what would stop another company in another country from providing, a bit like lecroy in south africa etc, making it and then selling it through love-scent as the reseller (they make the edge dont they) ???

[a.k.a.]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=\"1\" face=\"Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif\">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Walter Mitty:
Quite honestly, you cannot patent a natural product (Carrots for instance.)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I’m not a patent lawyer, and this is not to be construed as legal advice but... Actually you can patent a natural product (in the USA at least), if you can demonstrate “novelty” and the absence of “prior art” in cultivating the species. For example, in 1997 a Texas company, Rice Tec, was granted a patent on Basmati rice (#5663484) and this caused a big stink in international trade agreements with India, which claims to have developed the “prior art” of cultivating this species.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Well, I will not be held accountable for the Patent Offices decisions. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[jvkohl]

The Erox/Pherin pheromones were patented based on their reported ability to stimulate the human vomeronasal organ (VNO). Their chemist: Clive Jennings-White, synthesized the compounds, and their neurologist Luis Monti-Bloch patented a device to deliver the compounds directly to the VNO. The patents, both on the chemicals and on the delivery device made it impossible for other researchers to replicate their results--until recently, when Pherin Corp. started supplying other researchers with the compounds.

Among researchers there are now two camps: one believes that the human VNO is very significant when it comes to pheromones; the other holds the human VNO to be of little importance. This second camp: mine, looks at the effect of a likely human pheromone on a specific hormone: luteinizing hormone. If a human pheromone causes changes in this hormone, it will cause changes in behavior.
You can take my word for this, or read tons of technical literature. But, I recommend you start with the technical literature by reading Human Pheromones: Linking Neuroendocrinology and Ethology, which I published (with the help of others in Vienna) in Neuroendocrinology Letters (October 2001).
The full text of the article is available on line (and in PDF format). www.nel.edu/22_5/NEL220501R01_Review.htm

[oscar]

James,

Looks like a great article, what I could read of it. Unfortunately, the right margin of the page seems to have been compressed and a considerable amount of the text appears to be missing on the NEL site. Can this be paper be accessed elsewhere?

Oscar [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[DA]

I had troubles seeing that text in my browser, too. There\'s a link at the top of the page, though, for a PDF version that is much easier to read.

Cheers

[travis]

try to make the font larger it worked on me.

[jvkohl]

The article is best read after downloading
the .PDF

The same volume of this journal contains info
on the award we received for its publication: I\'ll be going to Prague in May to present the paper and receive a diploma with honors from Karls University. Also, there\'s a brief bio on my and the other author\'s somewhere in the same journal--all available on line.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Thanks for all the info james, it really helps everyone here out and does the pheromone discussions a great help. And bruce for keeping this forum going and providing us with quality products.

[oscar]

James,

Reading that article would lead one to conclude that the use of Androstenone, (ESPECIALLY in the ratios that most of us are accustomed to), would seriously narrow the field of likely subjects to ovulating women ONLY. Please! Say it ain\'t so!

I was also interested in Androstadienone and Androstadienol. Aren\'t these the odorless metabolites that are secreted by our apocrine glands that then become Androstenol and Androstenone after being effected by bacteria?

Why has Erox/Pherin seemingly chosen to put all of it\'s chickens in the Androstadienone basket, while most other manufacturers have concentrated on Androstenone, Androstenol, and Androsterone? Is it just patent considerations? Or is it that the smells of these three actually trigger a response.

You put yourself in the camp that \"holds the human VNO to be of little importance\". The pheromones that DO work, are working HOW? Is there an olfactory, or sub- or quasi-olfactory response. Or maybe it\'s a quasi- auxilliary olfactory signal. I may be getting lost here.
I caught the neutral scent conditioning, Pavlovian reference. So where\'s the conditioning that makes Androstenol and Androsterone effective in producing hormonal (LH) responses if the VNO isn\'t involved? I\'m getting more confused. Did a major point go over my head? Please don\'t be afraid to tell me if I\'ve got it totally backwards. [img]images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

Oscar [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Well, some possible explanations...

1. Perhaps the studies that found androstenone to have negative effects on women all OD\'d the exposure. It\'s a lot easier to OD on -none than -nol, right? The studies may not use a large quantity of -none, but they often place the amount right underneath the nose.

2. Perhaps, androstadienone is the real human pheromone that activates the female VNO, and the effects of -none and -nol are conditioned response from intimate contact with males. All the substances are usually present on the male body together. Perhaps, more of the -dienone converts to -none during sexual intercourse, so it\'s particularly associated with sex, maybe eventually more so than -dienone. Someone should do a study on the effect of -dienone, -none, and -nol on females of differing sexual experience. Inexperienced 15-year old girls may only respond to -dienone!

What do you think James?

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Ok we know from experience as users that its hard to OD on nol and we can use serious amounts. The dinene compound (spell check) might trigger the VNO and the none nol and rone might trigger somewhere else in the brain. Has anyone looked at combining the two theroys and saying that more than one area of the brain is involved (that is the VNO and a hormonal response at once alongside each other) people support or blow holes in my theory as need be.

Just some food for thought,.