Desoxymethyltestosterone
Encyclopedia
Desoxymethyltestosterone (Madol, Pheraplex) is an anabolic steroid
. It was one of the first "designer steroids" to be marketed as a performance-enhancing drug to athletes and bodybuilders. In animal studies it has been found to bind to the androgen receptor about as half as strongly as dihydrotestosterone
, and caused side effects that are typical of 17α-alkylated steroids, such as liver damage
when taken in higher dosages and left ventricular hypertrophy
.
Desoxymethyltestosterone is sometimes referred to as "DMT", though it is not the same compound as the hallucinogen dimethyltryptamine
, also known as DMT.
Desoxymethyltestosterone was invented in 1961 by Max Huffman who obtained a patent on the compound. It was never brought to market as a commercial drug. It was rediscovered by chemist Patrick Arnold
in 2005. Arnold produced desoxymethyltestosterone and supplied it to Victor Conte of Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative
(BALCO), an American nutritional supplement company and steroid supplier.
Desoxymethyltestosterone is unusual in that it is structurally a 2-ene compound, lacking the 3-keto group present on nearly all commercial anabolic steroids. This does not mean it is a weak compound, and clinical research has determined that it is a fairly potent oral agent. Rat studies indicate desoxymethyltestosterone has an anabolic effect 160% that of testosterone while being only 60% as androgenic giving it a Q ratio of 6.5:1. Because of this favorable ratio, experiments in orchiectomised rats have demonstrated that treatment with desoxymethyltestosterone resulted only in a stimulation of the weight of the levator ani muscle; the prostate and seminal vesicle weights remained unaffected leading the authors of one study to characterize DMT as a powerful anabolic steroid with SARM (selective androgenic receptor modulator) attributes and some indication of toxicity.
DMT became a controlled substance in the US on January 4, 2010, and is classified as a Schedule III anabolic steroid
under the United States Controlled Substances Act
along with boldione
and dienedione
. The substance had come under scrutiny after it was found to be present in several over-the-counter bodybuilding supplements.
Anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...
. It was one of the first "designer steroids" to be marketed as a performance-enhancing drug to athletes and bodybuilders. In animal studies it has been found to bind to the androgen receptor about as half as strongly as dihydrotestosterone
Dihydrotestosterone
Dihydrotestosterone is an androgen or male sex hormone. The enzyme 5α-reductase synthesises DHT in the prostate, testes, hair follicles, and adrenal glands...
, and caused side effects that are typical of 17α-alkylated steroids, such as liver damage
Hepatotoxicity
Hepatotoxicity implies chemical-driven liver damage.The liver plays a central role in transforming and clearing chemicals and is susceptible to the toxicity from these agents. Certain medicinal agents, when taken in overdoses and sometimes even when introduced within therapeutic ranges, may injure...
when taken in higher dosages and left ventricular hypertrophy
Left ventricular hypertrophy
Left ventricular hypertrophy is the thickening of the myocardium of the left ventricle of the heart.-Causes:While ventricular hypertrophy occurs naturally as a reaction to aerobic exercise and strength training, it is most frequently referred to as a pathological reaction to cardiovascular...
.
Desoxymethyltestosterone is sometimes referred to as "DMT", though it is not the same compound as the hallucinogen dimethyltryptamine
Dimethyltryptamine
N,N-Dimethyltryptamine is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound of the tryptamine family. DMT is found in several plants, and also in trace amounts in humans and other mammals, where it is originally derived from the essential amino acid tryptophan, and ultimately produced by the enzyme INMT...
, also known as DMT.
Desoxymethyltestosterone was invented in 1961 by Max Huffman who obtained a patent on the compound. It was never brought to market as a commercial drug. It was rediscovered by chemist Patrick Arnold
Patrick Arnold
Patrick Arnold is an American organic chemist responsible for creating the designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone, also known as THG and "the clear". THG, along with two other anabolic steroids that Patrick Arnold manufactured , were drugs at the heart of the BALCO scandal...
in 2005. Arnold produced desoxymethyltestosterone and supplied it to Victor Conte of Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative
Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative
The Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative was an American company led by founder and owner Victor Conte, a former bass player for the soul band Tower of Power. In 2003, journalists Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada investigated the company's role in a drug sports scandal later referred to as the...
(BALCO), an American nutritional supplement company and steroid supplier.
Desoxymethyltestosterone is unusual in that it is structurally a 2-ene compound, lacking the 3-keto group present on nearly all commercial anabolic steroids. This does not mean it is a weak compound, and clinical research has determined that it is a fairly potent oral agent. Rat studies indicate desoxymethyltestosterone has an anabolic effect 160% that of testosterone while being only 60% as androgenic giving it a Q ratio of 6.5:1. Because of this favorable ratio, experiments in orchiectomised rats have demonstrated that treatment with desoxymethyltestosterone resulted only in a stimulation of the weight of the levator ani muscle; the prostate and seminal vesicle weights remained unaffected leading the authors of one study to characterize DMT as a powerful anabolic steroid with SARM (selective androgenic receptor modulator) attributes and some indication of toxicity.
DMT became a controlled substance in the US on January 4, 2010, and is classified as a Schedule III anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...
under the United States Controlled Substances Act
Controlled Substances Act
The Controlled Substances Act was enacted into law by the Congress of the United States as Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. The CSA is the federal U.S. drug policy under which the manufacture, importation, possession, use and distribution of certain...
along with boldione
Boldione
Boldione is the precursor to boldenone, and as of January 4, 2010 is a Schedule III Controlled Substance.In 2004 the United States Congress passed the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2005 which placed 36 steroids and over the counter pro-hormones into schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act...
and dienedione
Dienedione
Dienedione is an anabolic steroid and a precursor to dienolone. It became a controlled substance in the US on January 4, 2010, and is classified as a Schedule III anabolic steroid under the United States Controlled Substances Act...
. The substance had come under scrutiny after it was found to be present in several over-the-counter bodybuilding supplements.