19→nor→steroids

Claim 1

Novel 19-nor-steroids of the formula ##STR55## wherein the A and B rings have a structure ##STR56## R 3 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms and acyl of an organic carboxylic acid of 1 to 7 carbon atoms, R 17 and R' 17 together form ═0 or R 17 is --OH or acyloxy and R' 17 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 8 carbon atoms and alkenyl and alkynyl of 2 to 8 carbon atoms, all optionally substituted with at least one member of the group consisting of halogen, alkoxy, alkylthio, --NH 2 , mono- or dialkylamino, optionally oxidized amino-alkyl, dialkylaminoalkyl, dialkylaminoalkoxy, --OH, acyloxy, free or esterified carboxy, --CN, --CF 3 , phenyl, furyl, thienyl, benzyl, X is selected from the group consisting of --CH 2 --, --CH 2 O--, phenylene and phenylenoxy linked to the C ring through a carbon atom, Y is selected from the group consisting of a simple bond and saturated and unsaturated aliphatic of 1 to 18 carbon atoms optionally interrupted with at least one member of the group consisting of phenylene, --O--and optionally oxidized --S-- and optionally terminated with phenylene, Z is a simple bond or --CH 2 --O-- linked to Y by a carbon atom, R A and R' A being individually selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl of 1 to 8 carbon atoms optionally substituted with at least one member of the group consisting of aryl, alkylamino, dialkylamino, --OH, halogen and esterified carboxyl with the proviso 1) that both of R A and R' A are not hydrogen and 2) when Z and Y are both simple bonds, X is not --CH 2 -- or --CH 2 --O--.