Testosterone standards during doping control. Testosterone in sprint. Composition and release form

Testosterone

Testosterone occupies a special place among anabolic steroids. This is a synthetic analogue of the most important natural steroid, the male sex hormone, having exactly the same structure that was determined back in 1935. Experiments with testostron were carried out in the 40s and 50s, and there is reason to believe that many records of those times fell not without his participation. The effects of testosterone have been well studied. It gives a pronounced anabolic effect, that is, an increase in muscle mass, and affects the nervous system, relieving the feeling of fatigue and raising the overall tone and mood, “fighting spirit”. This can be felt after just a few injections, usually containing 50 milligrams of testosterone in the form of an organic acid ester, such as propionic acid. There are injections with a very large dose - up to 250 mg. In recent years, various tablet forms of testosterone have appeared with doses ranging from 20 to 50 mg. Perhaps this is the only anabolic steroid used on the eve of the start. The side effects of prolonged use of testosterone are also well known - it systematically inhibits the production of endogenous testosterone in men. Women's voices noticeably become rougher and facial hair grows...
Testosterone - such a seemingly simple drug - has been and remains one of the most difficult problems in modern anti-doping control. The problem of reliably identifying testosterone as a doping has always been there, and has never been completely resolved, so we cannot do without considering the scientific aspects of this problem. Natural Testosterone circulates in the blood, intensively metabolizes, turning into so-called 17-keto metabolites, primarily androsterone and its derivatives. These metabolites are excreted in urine, which is collected for doping testing. There is very little testosterone in it. Doping testosterone, that is, obtained from the outside, is also involved in intensive metabolism, grinding and mixing everything, and after a short time it seems to disappear.
How can you prove the fact of doping? After all, if peaks of nandrolone or stanozolol metabolites are recorded, this is doping, a positive test, these peaks should not exist at all. But now a peak of testosterone has appeared - how can one distinguish one’s own, endogenous Testosterone from external, exogenous, that is, doping? There was no answer for a long time, so until 1984 testosterone was not defined as a doping. Although it was known that after the administration of testosterone, its concentration increases and then gradually decreases, however, this dynamics is visible in a laboratory experiment.
During doping control, there is only one sample with a given concentration. Measuring this one concentration does not tell you anything, since natural testosterone is present in the urine of men and women in a fairly wide range of concentrations - from 10 to 100 or more nanograms per milliliter.
The first to determine testosterone was Professor Manfred Donicke, founder and director of the Institute of Sports Biochemistry - as he himself called his world-famous Anti-Doping Laboratory in Cologne. He synthesized the reagent of the century - MSTFA, which converted molecules of testosterone, anabolic steroids and their metabolites into compounds convenient for analysis. Donike then made an important and bold decision - to measure not the concentration of testosterone, but the ratio of the concentrations of testosterone (T) and epitestosterone (E), its natural isomer, the role and origin of which were completely unknown at that time. The introduction of testosterone sharply changed the T to E ratio. One was taken as the norm for the T/E ratio. Although the spread of T/E values ​​was also large - from 0.1 to 3.5 and even higher, nevertheless, with T/E > 6, it could be argued that this sample was positive. Thousands of analyzes were done to generate statistics for such a statement.
In some incredible way, Donika managed to take all the “B” samples (unopened control urine samples) from the Moscow Olympics-80 to Cologne. At that time, this was a unique collection of biosamples from elite athletes representing different sports. On its basis, a comparison was made of the distribution of T/E ratios in the population of athletes and ordinary people, and the analysis procedure was worked out in detail. As a result, Manfred Donicke, then Secretary of the IOC Doping Subcommittee, introduced, with characteristic determination, this testosterone test procedure at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984, despite the opposition of a number of leading experts, including Don Catlin, director of the Los Angeles Olympic Games. The Olympic laboratory and Donike's main opponent on the problem of determining testosterone throughout their 10-year collaboration in the IOC.
The main argument of opponents was the false negative results obtained with such a procedure. That is, it was possible to use testosterone in fairly effective doses even on the eve of the start, and at the same time remain within the permissible T/E value. This gave an advantage to athletes who naturally had a high concentration of epitestosterone and, accordingly, a low T/E ratio, at the level of 0.1-0.5. Such values ​​are typical for representatives of Asian countries. Even several injections of testosterone did not allow them to reach a T/E value of b! But ironically, the first victim of the new procedure was a Japanese volleyball player. He was the first (and last) at that sad Olympics in Los Angeles, where our athletes did not participate due to a boycott. The remaining positive samples remained the mystery of the century - from the hotel room where Prince Alexandre de Merode, head of the IOC Medical Commission, lived, all documents and sampling protocols were stolen, the test results of which were positive.
Then the first false positive results appeared, which was simply unacceptable. In Norway, and then in Australia, individuals were discovered whose T/E ratio was stable around 7. They were observed for quite a long time - the ratio remained unchanged. Subsequent studies in Sweden showed that the probability of such a phenomenon is quite high - one case in 2000-3000. That is, the average anti-doping laboratory could produce one or two false positive results per year. Let us note that in the USSR there were also at least two such unique people with high natural T/E - one was a talented (far over 8 m) long jumper, the other was a fencer. They were completely unfairly “buried” in the late 80s.
It was decided to move the limit of positive T/E ratios to 9, and those who were found to have a ratio from 6 to 9 were to be observed, that is, samples were repeatedly and suddenly taken. As soon as the ratio has changed by several units in one direction or the other - see, the test is positive. In principle, it is possible to artificially maintain the ratio by taking testosterone with epitestosterone in a ratio of 30:1 (testosterone intensively metabolizes, and only a small part of it is released unchanged). However, this dramatically changes the concentration of epitestosterone itself and its relationship to the concentrations of other natural steroids. So Donike’s choice of epitestosterone as an internal biological standard was simply prophetic, and was not disputed even by the most ardent opponents of the method. But overall the procedure left room for questions and disputes.
Some additional method was needed to be confident in confirming a positive testosterone result. Finnish scientists back in the 70s, observing bodybuilders who constantly used anabolic steroids, noted that their steroid profile was changing: the concentration of natural androgenic steroids decreased, the ratios between androgenic and other steroids were distorted. In a chromatogram, where steroids are presented as a characteristic sequence of peaks of varying intensities, this distortion of the profile is striking. Quantitative calculation of the ratios was not difficult, and Donike relied on the study of the steroid profile of athletes as a source of additional information confirming the use of testosterone and other strong anabolic steroids. Indeed, it worked, but there were significant limitations. Firstly, all this was only applicable to men. The scatter and cyclical fluctuations of hormone ratios in the steroid profile of women did not allow setting statistically reliable boundaries between the norm and deviation from it. And secondly, the production of natural male hormones could decrease and remain suppressed as a result of overtraining, illness or competitive stress and strain. That is, the change in profile is not a specific reaction only to anabolic steroids.

But Donike persistently looked for the concentration ratios of natural steroids that were most sensitive to the effects of anabolic steroids, and believed in the future of this approach. As a result, his steroid profile analysis results showed that 90 percent of the winners and medalists of the Seoul Olympics in athletics used anabolic steroids. And Donike publicly announced this! What a howl then arose! And although Donike was forced to take back his words, it seems to me that there is no doubt about this figure. It’s also surprising that not all of them were 100% - apparently, they were so healthy that nothing could shake their profile...
Despite the fact that the steroid profile never became a recognized weapon in the fight against doping, this gun unexpectedly fired - and more than once. All athletics fans remember Katrin Krabbe, an outstanding short-distance runner, the jewel in the crown of stars of the former GDR. In 1991, she easily beat everyone at the World Championships in Tokyo, showing who would succeed Florence Griffith-Joyner the following year at the Barcelona Olympics. Naturally, before the Olympics, samples were taken from her several times during the preparatory period. And now three samples from collections in South Africa end up in a Cologne laboratory - and all samples turn out to have exactly the same steroid profile! Donike showed that from a statistical point of view, such a coincidence is completely incredible, that is, the samples were replaced somewhere or somehow cheated during the delivery of samples. In short, all three samples contained the same female urine.
From the point of view of the law and, above all, the presumption of innocence, this case cannot be punished, especially since the samples were taken in the presence of an IAAF representative officially authorized for such actions, then they were stored somewhere in refrigerators in hotels in Africa for a couple of weeks until they got to the laboratory in Cologne. That is, Krabbe and Griet Breuer, who found herself in the company with her, also a star from the GDR and world record holder among juniors in the 400 m run, had no need to make excuses and, in fact, nothing to do. But the Athletics Federation of the united Germany, in the heat of revelations about the pharmacological doping programs of the former GDR, wanted fresh blood - and removed Krabbe and Breuer from the competition, raising the question of their disqualification. Krabbe sued and the federation's decision, supported by the IAAF, was overturned. Krabbe continued preparing for Barcelona, ​​but then she was insidiously stabbed in the back - two months before the Games, clenbuterol was discovered in her out-of-competition test - an extremely controversial drug from a sports point of view, possibly having some anabolic effect, but in its structure nothing not related to a steroid and not included in the List of Prohibited Drugs at that time. So, in order to get out of this story, the IOC Medical Commission, at the suggestion of the IAAF, includes clenbuterol in the List of Prohibited Doping Substances and on this newfound basis disqualifies Crabbe and Breuer for four years! Breuer served time and returned, but the beautiful Krabbe went to court, was involved in auto racing, opened a store, even started running - but could not return. Everything that happened with Catherine Krabe is the most unsightly page in the history of anti-doping control.

In the course of recent events related to the fact that Alistair Overeem failed the drug test, doctor Johnny Benjamin spoke in detail about testosterone and the T/E ratio.

I've received a lot of questions over the past few hours about testosterone, T/E ratio and other similar things, so today I decided to give a little lesson in physiology for everyone who is interested.

Testosterone (T) is a male hormone that is naturally produced in the male body, primarily in the testicles. Epitestosterone (E) isinactiveform of testosterone in which it can be stored in the body or, if necessary, transformed intoactiveform of testosterone.

Most men have a T/E ratio of approximately 1:1, that is, testosterone and epitestosterone are present in approximately the same proportions in a man’s body. Depending on ethnic differences and time of day, this ratio can drop as low as 0.7:1 or as high as 1.3:1.

According to statistics, in 95% of men this ratio never exceeds 3.7:1, and in 99% the maximum norm is 5:1. This is why the International Anti-Doping Committee allows a maximum ratio of 4:1 (that is, their tests are at least 95% accurate), and the Nevada Athletic Commission allows a ratio of 6:1 (that is, if they catch someone, then the probability of the decision being correct is at least 99%) . The main purpose of these tests is not to accuse someone of cheating who is not a cheater. Very, very rarely, the T/E ratio in the human body can be unrealistically high, but even in this case it does not exceed 6:1.

Overeem, in turn, gave out simply stunning numbers, 14:1.

The T/E ratio test is used to detect doping because increasing testosterone levels through injections does not affect epitestosterone levels. E remains at the same level, but the T level increases and, accordingly, the T/E ratio also increases.

The "half-life" of testosterone is only eight days. This means that every eight hours, half of the testosterone taken from outside is washed out of the human blood. This means that if a cheating athlete knows when he will be tested (for example, immediately after a fight), then he does not need to be a genius to calculate the cycle of testosterone intake so that by the time of testing the T / E ratio in his blood reaches the desired level, be it 4:1 or 6:1. Thus, three half-lives fit into one day, which means that most likely within a day there will be no excess testosterone left in your blood, on which you can be caught.

Currently, the use of testosterone is experiencing its “second youth”, because recently some fighters have begun to use testosterone replacement therapy quite legally. In addition, this hormone is produced naturally in the body, unlike anabolic steroids, which by their nature are completely unnatural for the body, since they are not produced in it, and therefore their use must be masked with other drugs in order to pass the test. Testosterone use does not need to be masked, so there is no need to worry about a fighter being caught using a masking drug. They just need enough time for the testosterone to leave their body on its own.

However, if you don't know when the test will be, then you can't plan when to stop using testosterone. It is clear that in the case of random tests, the fighter does not have such an opportunity.

Well, that’s why we have what we have.

mmajunkie.com

Translation by Stanislav Kharlamov, mixfight.ru

Recently another original came into my office and, hesitatingly, asked:
- Is this very harmful?
- What exactly? Impolitely, I answered a question with a question...
- Well, this is CHEMISTRY.
- I'm sorry, what? - I began to defend the reputation of the great SCIENCE.
- Well, don’t you know what? sports nutrition is divided into CHEMISTRY - he pointed his finger at the rows of cans with proteins - and NOT CHEMISTRY: well, all sorts of herbs, he pointed his finger at Leveton.

— Where does H2O belong? -I killed the newly-minted “enlightener” with the next counter question.

Apparently, the education reform in our country has been a great success. Judging by his reaction and facial expression, he didn’t understand what I was talking about at all, but just in case, he decided not to argue further. I suspect that this decision was influenced not so much by the imprint of intelligence from working on my dissertation on my face, but by my 50 cm “cans”, modestly emphasizing my competence in training matters. The problem is that at this level, not only stray beginner fitnessists think and make decisions, but also government officials who are obliged to make them on duty.

We must slowly begin to understand the terminology if we want progress in the competent attitude of our population to physical education, to healthy and, in particular, to sports nutrition. As the Eastern sages would say, let's return the words to their original meaning.

I adhere to the point of view that the term SPORTS NUTRITION correctly understands what our body receives from regular food, but in a form that is not sufficient for successful recovery after heavy physical exertion and is not digestible enough. I consider the current practice of classifying some sports nutrition products as Dietary Supplements (BAS) to be absolutely wrong. Dietary supplements are those drugs that change the properties of food, such as preservatives, leavening agents, flavorings, etc., but not Sports Nutrition. At the same time, I recommend that people think about the harmfulness of, for example, not proteins obtained under pharmaceutical purity from the best whey, but chicken from the nearest supermarket, which amazingly turns from an egg into a full-fledged broiler in a week. By the way, there is another category of specialists who call potent substances with the long-suffering word CHEMISTRY and for some reason contrast them with sports nutrition. In general, when I am asked about my attitude to this category of drugs, I explain that the position of a scientist cannot be a vote both “FOR” and “AGAINST” any chemical compound, it simply gives an objective picture: what it is, what it can be used for , why not, what are the side effects, pros and cons, etc. Therefore, I have already written more than once that I do not find, for example, signs of “Absolute Evil” in anabolic steroids. These are simply potent drugs that have a fairly narrow range of applications, which must be handled very carefully and carry out educational work among ordinary people, who in most cases do not need anything like that, and not stupidly lie and scare them that the hair on their arms will grow or some organs will fall off. Objective and reliable information will do much more than howling in the media about imminent cancer, unthinkable aggression or lies with the opposite sign, such as fairy tales spread in sports circles about the miraculous growth of strength and mass without any effort.

Now about another type of deception - the numerous miraculous remedies that have appeared recently for “increasing male strength” according to various “secret recipes” of different “emperors”. I admit that among the various offers on this market there are some very high-quality ones, but judging by how and where all this is sold, to put it mildly, there are more than enough “incomprehensible” products on this market. In fact, there is nothing new, secret or mystical in such means. Almost all nations have the practice of consuming certain types of plants that have tonic and testosterone-increasing effects. By the way, from ancient treatises on qigong it becomes clear that testosterone quite clearly attributed to one of the main vital types of Qi energy. Already several thousand years ago they knew very well, for example, which types of food stimulate the production of testosterone and which ones inhibit it and, accordingly, classified certain foods as YIN or YANG. Only, when considering ways to replenish qi energy, they did not assume that there might be a way to directly add synthetic qi from the outside. By the way, it’s not for nothing that the sports nutrition industry around the world eagerly adopts achievements traditional medicine. If in the USA they largely use the experience of Indian traditional (we call it alternative) medicine, then in China they rely on their own, and it’s hard not to be surprised by their achievements in sports, especially recently.

Any experience, including foreign, can be useful to us, but we should not forget about our own. Moreover, as the requirements for combating doping in elite sports become more stringent, there are fewer and fewer simple opportunities left and it is necessary to increasingly use the entire range of permitted and legal ways to improve results. Let's see what is on our market from proven and well-proven plant-based preparations.

Let's start with Leveton P, the packaging of which my visitor pointed his finger at. The product was developed by the Moscow Scientific and Practical Center for Sports Medicine and passed research in the laboratory of clinical pharmacology and doping control of the RUSSIA GOSCOMSPORT in 2000-2003. and was initially tested on highly qualified athletes, masters of sports and international masters of sports.

« Leveton P » recommended primarily for athletes involved in strength sports – weightlifting, powerlifting and bodybuilding, a little later, the practice of using it in other sports began to develop, in particular martial arts and athletics, which I will talk about later. It should be understood that no sports nutrition product can have the same anabolic effect, that is, stimulate metabolism and recovery and, as a result, the growth of muscle mass, strength and endurance, like steroids. hormones. But with proper use of completely legal and safe drugs, you can achieve an effect of 30 to 40% in comparison with the effect of fairly noticeable doses of hormones, which, you see, is quite significant. " Leveton P» is non-toxic, is not a drug or a doping agent and contains the entire complex of microelements in a biologically digestible form, amino acids and vitamins necessary for athletes during the pre-competitive and competitive periods. Let us clarify that athletes use such means in two cases:

1. The one that is written about in detail here.

2. To restore the natural level of testosterone after its production has decreased as a result of the use of those drugs that are prohibited in order to reduce the “rebound” as a result of catabolic processes.

Like any sports nutrition product, " Leveton P“has, in addition to sports, another area of ​​application called “active longevity.” It is also useful for people involved in mass recreational physical culture and people suffering from neurocircular dystonia, as it optimizes the circulatory system by increasing the reserve capabilities of central hemodynamics with the most rational ratio of cardiac output and heart rate.

Action of "Leveton P".

• Tones the central nervous system, improves the learning process, memory, conditioned reflex activity, improves synaptic transmission in the sympathetic and parasympathetic fibers of the peripheral nervous system.
• Normalizes the function of the body's endocrine system (anabolic and catabolic functions).
• Controls the process of formation and consumption of energy in executive cells (muscles, liver, kidneys, brain and other organs).
• Restores the immunosuppressive effect as a result of training and competitive processes, affecting humoral and cellular immunity.
• Promotes antioxidant effects in the body, preventing the toxic effects of free radical oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids that are activated during exhaustive physical activity.
• Prevents hypoxia, which almost always accompanies intense work.
• It has anabolic effects, which must be maintained during intense physical work (training) in order to avoid loss of body weight and protein destruction in athletes when catabolic processes prevail.
• Improves microcirculation of brain vessels and working muscles by improving the rheological properties of blood (the presence in the structure of vitamins E and C, coumarin derivatives, ecdisthene and other ingredients).

The order of administration for these purposes: 1 tablet 3 times a day. Duration of treatment – ​​1 month. For sports purposes, there has been a practice of individually increasing its dosage by 2–3 times, and for a period of up to two months.

There is one more point that advertisers of testosterone boosters conveniently keep silent about. You cannot constantly stimulate your own testosterone production. In any case, the glands need periods of rest. In this sense, the use of testosterone boosters after periods of taking synthetic hormones seems more logical, since periods of rest of the glands alternate with periods of stimulation. Of course, I do not consider it advisable to use any testosterone boosters in young people, and especially in adolescence, when testosterone production is already very good.

« Leveton P» is available in two types of packaging: plastic bottle - 60 tablets and 300 tablets.

The drug Leveton Forte has recently been developed especially for professional athletes. Patent for invention No. 2390270. Anti-doping certificate No. S047S. Excerpt from the patent for the invention “Leveton Forte”:
The action of "Leveton" is determined by the synergism of its components: clearly dosed vitamins and donors of phytoecdysteroids - Leuzea (or a medicinal plant containing ecdysteroids) and pollen (bee pollen).

In the proposed invention, a substance is introduced - drone brood , which has a stronger anabolic effect than pollen. It serves as a natural doping, allowing you to build muscle mass, protect muscles from biochemical damage, and get maximum results.

Drone brood differs from flower pollen in a large number of functional groups of enzymes, sulfide groups, as well as testosteroid hormones, progesterone and extradiol. Thanks to this set of substances, drone brood promotes the accelerated restoration of biochemical and massometric characteristics of the testes and prostate gland, acting as a stimulator of the central mechanisms regulating the intensity of androgen formation.

Drone brood increases the level of metabolism during periods of active muscle activity, due to which physical activity increases. endurance. Drone brood contains 10 times more steroid hormones than flower pollen.

The proposed invention makes the athlete’s recovery process shorter compared to Leveton P due to the higher content of phytoecdysteroids. Currently, Leveton Forte is the best non-doping drug in the world for its anabolic effect and maintaining testosterone levels in the body. An additional property of Leveton Forte is increased libido and potency.

I can say that I tried it myself" Leveton P"and monitored its use by athletes of the highest sports skill level in the following sports: weightlifting, powerlifting, sambo, wrestling, judo, freestyle and classical wrestling, cross-country skiing, Athletics. Both for me and for all the athletes and coaches interviewed

Testosterone is directly involved in a man’s metabolism and is partly responsible for the normal absorption of protein (and it, in turn, is the “building material” for muscles). Everything is extremely simple here - the more sex hormone, the more attractive a man’s body.

But the main thing is not the total level of testosterone, but the percentage of its “free” form, not associated with lipids.

It is its concentration that athletes actively increase, mainly through injections (a rarer option is the use of special patches).

If we talk about the norm, then it is different for everyone. In a healthy person, free testosterone is stored in the body in two forms:

• The so-called T-testosterone.
• E-epithestosterone (it is a kind of reserve and is transformed into the T-form “on demand” of the body itself).

In a healthy adult man, the proportion of T and E cells in the blood is approximately 1 to 1. In very rare cases, the proportion is violated to 3.7: 1, which is already considered by doctors to be an increased norm. If the proportion is about 4:1 or higher, then this is a clear sign that the person artificially and deliberately increased testosterone levels using pharmacology. And this is a reason for his disqualification.

REFERENCE! The Nevada Athletic Commission considers a ratio of up to 6:1 to be normal. That is, athletes who have only slightly increased their hormone levels are allowed to compete.

For example, in the Russian Federation, which uses data from the International Anti-Doping Commission in practice, a proportion above 4 to 1 is already a violation and subsequent disqualification.

In what cases is a natural stimulant used?

The main effect of testosterone is a powerful anabolic and androgenic effect., due to which there is a significant increase in endurance and muscle mass.

But at the same time, the stimulation of these processes is natural, and not as when using traditional anabolic steroids, although the final effect is identical. How does the hormone work?

It provokes the retention of large amounts of water and electrolytes in the body, which directly lead to an increase in volume and mass of muscle fibers.

What sports use testosterone most often? Almost everything directly related to strength training. Testosterone is primarily used:

1. in powerlifting;
2. strongman bodybuilding;
3. armwrestling;
4. in kettlebell lifting;
5. less often it is used by weightlifters (to increase the maximum limit of strength).

IMPORTANT!“Active” testosterone, which helps build muscle mass, must be located directly in the muscles, and not in the blood. So natural methods of stimulating hormone production are ineffective compared to the use of “chemistry”.

In professional sports, testosterone is practically not used. An increase in its level is easy to detect, and at the same time its effectiveness is significantly lower than more modern anabolic steroid drugs. The main consumers of testosterone are amateur athletes involved in powerlifting and bodybuilding.

Application

Theoretically, testosterone can be used in addition to sports nutrition for cutting. There is a profit from this, but you should consult with an endocrinologist and take weekly tests to determine the current level of “free” testosterone in the blood.

And the recommended dosage of testosterone (in the form of a ready-made testosterone enanthate injection) for beginners is 250 milligrams in injection form per week, but not more than 8 weeks in a row. In this case, a restorative course of pharmacology may subsequently be required.

Efficiency

The main “advantages” in favor of testosterone:

1. slow but lasting effect;
2. low likelihood of side effects;
3. can be combined with other sports “pharmacology”;
4. allowed for use by women (dosages are radically different);
5. After stopping the course, there is no rapid loss of shape.

   REFERENCE! You can stay in shape if you actively engage in strength training and naturally raise your sex hormone levels.

Its “disadvantages” include:

• low efficiency;
• the first effect will be noticeable only 2-4 weeks after the first injection;
• there is no particular effect on appetite (therefore the course is supplemented with a complex of sports nutrition);
• after completing the course, there is a possibility of a rapid increase in the concentration of estrogens (female sex hormones that slow down the growth of muscle mass).

Total There are both pros and cons to using testosterone. It is great for beginners who want to speed up the acquisition of the “ideal” figure. For professionals it is unlikely to be suitable (or only in combination with more aggressive steroids). The likelihood of developing side effects is minimal, but it is still recommended to consult with your doctor about this from time to time.

Basic terminology:

• AC– anabolic steroid.
• AAS– androgenic anabolic steroid.
• Exogenous hormone- a hormone that enters the blood from the outside.
• Endogenous hormone - a hormone synthesized in the body.
• Aromatization– conversion of testosterone to estrogen.
• Anabolic activity– increased anabolism exhibited by drugs.
• Androgenic activity- the main activity of hormones manifested in the development of secondary sexual characteristics. Responsible for all other effects of steroids, except for anabolism, there are both positive and negative effects.
• Progestin activity– the ability of the drug to bind to progesterone receptors of the pituitary gland and increase the secretion of prolactin.
• Toxicity– negative effect of the drug on the liver.
• Admission form– tablets (orally), injection (intramuscular).

Pharmacological action of steroids

Pharmacological action of steroids

Any anabolic-androgenic steroid penetrates into the cell and acts directly on the cell nucleus, this is due to its steroid structure of the active substance. The cell membrane has a lipid structure, a bilipid layer, like the steroid itself, which is based on sterol - fat, which is why steroids are able to get inside the cell and interact with the cell nucleus. There are no receptors on cell membranes for steroids, as there are for other non-steroidal hormones, therefore sensitivity to drugs cannot decrease; any duration of taking the drugs, as well as the amount of the drug, will always work with the same effectiveness.

Penetrating into the cell nucleus and acting on the nucleus, the steroid activates the genetic apparatus of the cell, this action leads to an increase in the synthesis of DNA, as well as RNA structural proteins. Enhances tissue respiration, oxidative phosphorylation, synthesis of AFT and macroenergetic elements of the cell. Stimulates anabolic processes, suppresses catabolic processes caused by glucocorticoids.

Steroids improve tissue trophism, promote calcium deposition in bone tissue, and retain nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur in the body. They increase the synthesis of erythropoietin, which leads to an increase in the content of red blood cells and hemoglobin in the blood. Promotes the development of secondary sexual characteristics of the male type, thanks to androgenic activity.

Types of steroids.

Despite the large number of different trade names, the active ingredients themselves, there are not so many steroids. And all of them are based on three main hormones - testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and progesterone.

Testosterone and testosterone derivatives- a class of drugs that were created on the basis of testosterone, and are most similar to it in structure. A special feature of this group of drugs is aromatization, although it is not inherent in all drugs in this group. This group of drugs can roughly include:

• Testosterone – aromatizes.
• Boldenone – does not aromatize.
• Turinabol does not aromatize.
• Methandrostanalone - aromatizes.

DHT derivatives or simply derivatives of DHT - a class of drugs that were created on the basis of DHT, thereby being its derivatives. The peculiarity of this group of drugs is an increase in the level of DHT, a decrease in the level of SHBG, and slight antiprogestogenic activity.

This group of drugs leads to rapid baldness due to an increase in DHT. Almost all drugs in this group have high anabolic activity and low androgenic activity. This group of drugs includes:

• Stanozolol.
• Methenolone.
• Drostanolone.
• Oxymetalone.
• Oxandrolone.
• Primobolan.

Progestogens- a class of drugs created on the basis of progesterone. The main feature of this group of drugs is their effect on progestin receptors and an increase in prolactin levels, while nandrolone is still able to increase the amount of estradil, which is converted without the participation of the aromatase enzyme. There are only two drugs in this group:

• Nandrolone.
• Trenbolone.

Table of all steroids:

*Nandrolone does not aromatize, but it increases the level of estradiol, which is why it is classified as aromatizing drugs.

Types of esters (oils, bases for preparations)

All injectable drugs are diluted in different types of oils, which slow down the time of removal of the drug from the injection site into the blood. It doesn’t matter what drug is in the oil, the main thing is what kind of oil, it is this that determines the half-life of the drug (sometimes the half-life is indicated).

Knowing the half-life of a drug is important to know for two reasons:

Firstly– to understand how often to inject the drug, if it is propionate, in this case it is best to inject every other day, since the half-life is up to two days, while cypionate can be injected once a week, since it has a half-life of about a week.

Secondly– to understand when to start PCT, using the same example, if recovery after propionate begins within 4-6 days, while cypionate will interfere with recovery for another 21-28 days, since there will be an exogenous steroid in the blood that will not give your testosterone the opportunity to begin to recover. Therefore, before starting PCT, it is necessary to wait for at least 3 half-lives (half-life, half-life) of the drug.