Tetrahydrogestrinone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
|
Tetrahydrogestrinone
|
|
| Systematic (IUPAC) name | |
| (13S,17S)-13,17-diethyl-17-hydroxy-1,2,6,7,8,13,14,15,16,17- decahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-one | |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | |
| ATC code | ? |
| PubChem | ? |
| ChemSpider | |
| Chemical data | |
| Formula | C21H28O2 |
| Mol. mass | 312.46 g/mol |
| Synonyms | Tetrahydrogestrinone, THG, The Clear |
| Pharmacokinetic data | |
| Bioavailability | ? |
| Metabolism | ? |
| Half life | ? |
| Excretion | ? |
| Therapeutic considerations | |
| Pregnancy cat. |
? |
| Legal status | |
| Routes | Oral, Intramuscular |
Tetrahydrogestrinone (often referred to as THG or The Clear) is an anabolic steroid developed by Patrick Arnold.[1] It has affinity to the androgen receptor and the progesterone receptor, but not to the estrogen receptor.[2] The drug has been considered a designer drug, closely related to the banned anabolic steroids gestrinone and trenbolone,[3] and was banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at the end of 2003.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] Pharmacology
Structure-activity relationship studies report that the potency of the drug is outstanding, surpassing, on a milligram per milligram basis, every known synthesized or commercial available anabolic steroid at the time of its development. It is a highly potent agonist for the androgen and progesterone receptors,[4] around 10 times more potent than the comparison drugs nandrolone or trenbolone, but with no estrogenic activity. It has been found to bind to the androgen receptor with similar affinity to dihydrotestosterone and produces growth of muscle tissue.[5] According to Patrick Arnold, due the drug's potency, he never had to supply significant quantities to BALCO, because "just a couple of drops under the tongue" were a sufficient dose.[1]
[edit] Side effects
Side effects from prolonged use are likely to include infertility in both men and women, as well as other steroid side effects such as acne and hirsutism.[6] Unlike most other anabolic steroids, THG also binds with high affinity to the glucocorticoid receptor, and while this effect may cause additional weight loss, it is also likely to cause extra side effects such as immunosuppression that are not seen with most other steroids.[7]
[edit] History
For a time, THG was considered the drug of choice for safe and "invisible" world record breaking in athletics, being used by several high profile gold medal winners such as the sprinter Marion Jones, who resigned from her athletic career in 2007 after admitting to using THG prior to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where she had won three gold medals.[8] It has also been used by banned British athlete Dwain Chambers.
THG was developed by Patrick Arnold for the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO), an American nutritional supplement company.[9] The company manufactured the drug through palladium-charcoal catalyzed hydrogenation from gestrinone, a substance used in gynecology for treatment of endometriosis.[citation needed]
In 2003, Don Catlin, MD, the founder and then-director of the UCLA Olympic Analytical Lab and now head of the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Anti-Doping Research, identified and developed a test for THG, the second reported designer anabolic steroid. Later that year, the Chicago Tribune named Catlin Sportsman of the Year. Catlin also identified the first reported designer anabolic steroid in sport, norbolethone.[10][11]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1104278/3/index.htm
- ^ Tetrahydrogestrinone is a potent androgen and prog...[J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004] - PubMed Result
- ^ Oct.2003 FDA statement on THG
- ^ Labrie F, Luu-The V, Calvo E, Martel C, Cloutier J, Gauthier S, Belleau P, Morissette J, Lévesque MH, Labrie C. Tetrahydrogestrinone induces a genomic signature typical of a potent anabolic steroid. Journal of Endocrinolology. 2005 Feb;184(2):427-33.
- ^ Jasuja R, Catlin DH, Miller A, Chang YC, Herbst KL, Starcevic B, Artaza JN, Singh R, Datta G, Sarkissian A, Chandsawangbhuwana C, Baker M, Bhasin S. Tetrahydrogestrinone is an androgenic steroid that stimulates androgen receptor-mediated, myogenic differentiation in C3H10T1/2 multipotent mesenchymal cells and promotes muscle accretion in orchidectomized male rats. Endocrinology. 2005 Oct;146(10):4472-8.
- ^ Death AK, McGrath KCY, Kazlauskas R, Handelsman DJ. Tetrahydrogestrinone is a Potent Androgen and Progestin. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2004; 89(5):2498-2500.
- ^ Friedel A, Geyer H, Kamber M, Laudenbach-Leschowsky U, Schänzer W, Thevis M, Vollmer G, Zierau O, Diel P. Tetrahydrogestrinone is a potent but unselective binding steroid and affects glucocorticoid signalling in the liver. Toxicology Letters. 2006 June 20;164(1):16-23.
- ^ BBC NEWS | Americas | Jones pleads guilty in drug case
- ^ http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/can/press/2006/2006_08_04_arnold_sentencing%20press.htm
- ^ Anti-Doping Research (ADR)
- ^ Catlin has made a career out of busting juicers, however, Caitlin is behind the times and was only able to detect and process a test for this compound because a disgruntled coach stole a sample of THG from a Balco athlete. Caitlin's arrogance has made it so that he was unable to admit that patrick arnold is brilliant or that they outsmarted him. As a result of this I can only say that this is a problem because if caitlin had asked to work with Arnold there would probably not be new or even more powerful compounds being synthesized today. USA Today, 2007-02-28.
[edit] External links
- Anti-Doping Research (ADR)
- The identity of the whistle-blowing coach
- This Is Very Clever Chemistry from the Washington Post, December 4, 2004
