Methasterone Explained

Verifiedfields:changed
Watchedfields:changed
Verifiedrevid:446183379
Iupac Name:(2R,5S,8R,9S,10S,13S,14S,17S)-17-hydroxy-2,10,13,17-tetramethyl-2,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16-dodecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[''a'']phenanthren-3-one
Width:225px
Legal Us:Schedule III
Routes Of Administration:oral
Class:Androgen
Anabolic steroid
Bioavailability:≈50%
Metabolism:Liver
Elimination Half-Life:8–12 hours
Excretion:Urine
Cas Number:3381-88-2
Unii:GH88DY98MR
Atc Prefix:None
Pubchem:237186
Chemspiderid:207079
Synonyms:Superdrol; Methyldrostanolone; Methasteron; 2α,17α-Dimethyl-4,5α-dihydrotestosterone; 2α,17α-Dimethyl-DHT; 2α,17α-Dimethyl-5α-androstan-17β-ol-3-one
C:21
H:34
O:2
Smiles:O=C2C[C@@H]1CC[C@@H]3[C@@H]([C@@]1(C)C[C@H]2C)CC[C@]4([C@H]3CC[C@@]4(O)C)C
Stdinchi:1S/C21H34O2/c1-13-12-19(2)14(11-18(13)22)5-6-15-16(19)7-9-20(3)17(15)8-10-21(20,4)23/h13-17,23H,5-12H2,1-4H3/t13-,14+,15-,16+,17+,19+,20+,21+/m1/s1
Stdinchikey:QCWCXSMWLJFBNM-FOVYBZIDSA-N

Methasterone, also known as methyldrostanolone and known by the nickname Superdrol, is a synthetic and orally active anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) which was never marketed for medical use. It was sold legally for 9 years as a body building supplement. Because of this lengthy time being legal it has more studies and references than most other designer steroids.

Medical uses

Methasterone was never a commercially available prescription drug. Its non-17α-alkylated counterpart, drostanolone propionate, was commercialized by Syntex Corporation under the brand name Masteron.[1]

Non-medical uses

Methasterone resurfaced in 2005 as a "designer steroid".[2] It was brought to market by Designer Supplements as the primary ingredient of a dietary supplement named Superdrol. Its introduction into commerce may have represented an attempted circumvention of the U.S. Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 1990 (along with its 2004 revision), since the law is, in part, drug-specific;[3] methasterone, as is the case with many designer steroids, was not declared a Schedule III class anabolic steroid in that act because it was not commercially available at the time the act, and its subsequent revision, were signed into law.[4] Methasterone was therefore being sold as an over-the-counter dietary supplement.

Side effects

Methasterone is hepatotoxic (toxic to the liver). Several cases of liver damage due to the use of methasterone have been cited in the medical literature.[5] [6] [7] [8]

Chemistry

See also: List of androgens/anabolic steroids.

Methasterone, also known as 2α,17α-dimethyl-5α-dihydrotestosterone (2α,17α-dimethyl-DHT) or as 2α,17α-dimethyl-5α-androstan-17β-ol-3-one, is a synthetic androstane steroid and a 17α-alkylated derivative of DHT.

Mebolazine is formed by hydrazone formation between two equivalents of methasterone with one equivalent of hydrazine.

History

The synthesis of methasterone is first mentioned in the literature in 1956 in connection with research conducted by Syntex Corporation in order to discover a compound with anti-tumor properties.[9] In a 1959 research journal article, it is initially mentioned and is elaborated upon where its method of synthesis is discussed in greater detail, its tumor inhibiting properties are verified, and it is noted as being a "potent orally active anabolic agent exhibiting only weak androgenic activity."[10] The results of subsequent assays to determine methasterone's anabolic and androgenic activity were published in Vida's Androgens and Anabolic Agents, a dated but still standard reference, where it was noted that methasterone possessed the oral bioavailability of methyltestosterone while being 400% as anabolic and 20% as androgenic, yielding a Q-ratio (anabolic to androgenic ratio) of 20, which is considered very high.[11]

Designer steroid

It was in late 2005 that the reclassification of methasterone as AAS (as well as that of four other designer steroids) was brought to public awareness via an article published in the Washington Post.[12] Don Catlin of the UCLA Olympic Laboratory, who conducted the studies, noted methasterone's similarity to drostanolone. A warning by the FDA was issued soon after to the general public as well as to the distributor, Designer Supplements LLC, for the marketing of this compound.[13] Methasterone was subsequently added to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of prohibited substances in sport.[14] Despite all of this, methasterone has resurfaced within the supplement industry on several occasions since its banning by WADA.[15]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Superdrol, masteron en oxy komen uit hetzelfde nest" [Superdrol, Masteron, and Oxy come from the same nest] ]. Ergogenics.org . 21 February 2009 .
  2. Van Eenoo P, Delbeke FT . Metabolism and excretion of anabolic steroids in doping control--new steroids and new insights . The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology . 101 . 4–5 . 161–178 . November 2006 . 17000101 . 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2006.06.024 . amp . 33621513 .
  3. Web site: Office of Division Control, Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice . Implementation of the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004 . 21 February 2009 . 16 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120216235259/http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/fed_regs/rules/2005/fr1216.htm .
  4. News: Shipley A, Berkowitz B, Rivero C . Designer Steroids Hide and Seek . The Washington Post . October 18, 2005 . 21 February 2009 .
  5. Jasiurkowski B, Raj J, Wisinger D, Carlson R, Zou L, Nadir A . Cholestatic jaundice and IgA nephropathy induced by OTC muscle building agent superdrol . The American Journal of Gastroenterology . 101 . 11 . 2659–2662 . November 2006 . 16952289 . 10.1111/j.1572-0241.2006.00735.x . 5889075 .
  6. Nasr J, Ahmad J . Severe cholestasis and renal failure associated with the use of the designer steroid Superdrol (methasteron): a case report and literature review . Digestive Diseases and Sciences . 54 . 5 . 1144–1146 . May 2009 . 10.1007/s10620-008-0457-x . 18720005 . 21819008 .
  7. Shah NL, Zacharias I, Khettry U, Afdhal N, Gordon FD . Methasteron-associated cholestatic liver injury: clinicopathologic findings in 5 cases . Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology . 6 . 2 . 255–258 . February 2008 . 18187367 . 10.1016/j.cgh.2007.11.010 . free .
  8. Singh V, Rudraraju M, Carey EJ, Byrne TJ, Vargas HE, Williams JE, Balan V, Douglas DD, Rakela J . 6 . Severe hepatotoxicity caused by a methasteron-containing performance-enhancing supplement . Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology . 43 . 3 . 287 . March 2009 . 18813027 . 10.1097/mcg.0b013e31815a5796 .
  9. Ringold H, Rosenkranz G . Steroids. LXXXIII. Synthesis of 2-Methyl and 2,2-Dimethyl Hormone Analogs . Journal of Organic Chemistry . 21 . November 1956 . 1333–1335 . 10.1021/jo01117a625.
  10. Ringold HJ, Batres E, Halpern O, Necoechea E . Journal of the American Chemical Society . Steroids. CV.1 2-Methyl and 2-Hydroxymethylene-androstane Derivatives . 81 . 2 . January 1959 . 427–432 . 10.1021/ja01511a040.
  11. Book: Vida JA . Androgens and Anabolic Agents: Chemistry and Pharmacology . New York . Academic Press . 1969 . 23 & 168.
  12. News: Shipley A . Steroids Detected in Dietary Tablets. The Washington Post. November 30, 2005. 21 February 2009.
  13. Web site: U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Warns Manufacturers About Illegal Steroid Products Sold as Dietary Supplements. March 9, 2006. 21 February 2009.
  14. Web site: World Anti-Doping Agency. The World Anti-Doping Code: The 2009 Prohibited List: International Standard. 21 February 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090203030039/http://www.wada-ama.org/rtecontent/document/2009_Prohibited_List_ENG_Final_20_Sept_08.pdf. 2009-02-03.
  15. News: What You Don't Know Might Kill You: Would-be experts and untested products feed a $20 billion obsession with better performance across all levels of sports. May 18, 2009. Epstein D, Dohrmann G . Sports Illustrated. June 14, 2011. April 16, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140416175920/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1155395/5/index.htm.