Raloxifene

**Semantic type:** Organic Chemical|Pharmacologic Substance

**Definition:** A selective benzothiophene estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). Raloxifene binds to estrogen receptors (ER) as a mixed estrogen agonist/antagonist; it displays both an ER-alpha-selective partial agonist/antagonist effect and a pure ER-beta-selective antagonist effect. This agent functions as an estrogen agonist in some tissues (bones, lipid metabolism) and as an estrogen antagonist in others (endometrium and breasts), with the potential for producing some of estrogen's beneficial effects without producing its adverse effects. (NCI04)

**Synonyms:** - Keoxifene - LY 139481 - RALOXIFENE - [6-Hydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-benzo[b]thien-3-yl][4-[2-(1-piperidinyl)ethoxy]phenyl]methanone - raloxifene