Triphenylethylene (TPE) is a simple aromatic hydrocarbon that possesses weak estrogenic activity.

[4] TPE is the parent compound of a group of nonsteroidal estrogen receptor ligands.

[1][2][5] It includes the estrogens chlorotrianisene, desmethylchlorotrianisene, estrobin (DBE), M2613, triphenylbromoethylene, triphenylchloroethylene, triphenyliodoethylene, triphenylmethylethylene; the selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) afimoxifene, brilanestrant, broparestrol, clomifene, clomifenoxide, droloxifene, endoxifen, etacstil, fispemifene, idoxifene, miproxifene, miproxifene phosphate, nafoxidine, ospemifene, panomifene, and toremifene.

In addition to their estrogenic activity, various TPE derivatives like tamoxifen and clomifene have been found to act as protein kinase C inhibitors.

[7][8] For comparison, the relative binding affinities of derivatives of triphenylethylene were 1.6% for tamoxifen, 175% for afimoxifene (4-hydroxytamoxifen), 15% for droloxifene, 1.4% for toremifene (4-chlorotamoxifen), 0.72% for clomifene, and 0.72% for nafoxidine.