This is a list of androgens/anabolic steroids (AAS) or testosterone derivatives. Androgen esters are mostly not included in this list. The major classes of testosterone derivatives include the following (as well as combinations thereof):
Testosterone derivatives: direct derivatives of testosterone not falling into the groups below
17α-Alkylated testosterone derivatives: methyltestosterone and ethyltestosterone derivatives
17α-Ethynylated/vinylated testosterone derivatives: ethynyltestosterone (ethisterone) and vinyltestosterone derivatives
The last group consists of progestins with mostly only very weak androgenic/anabolic activity.
This article pertains to steroidal androgens; nonsteroidal androgens like the selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) andarine and enobosarm (ostarine) are not included here.
The 17α-ethenylated (vinylated) testosterone derivative norvinisterone (vinylnortestosterone) is much more potent as an AAS than the 17α-ethynylated testosterone derivatives and is intermediate in potency between the 17α-ethynylated progestins and conventional AAS, with approximately one-third and one-fifth of the respective androgenic and anabolic activity of nandrolone in animalbioassays.[1]
Vinyltestosterone has been described as a weak AAS, though stronger than its 17α-ethynylated analogue ethisterone.[2]
17α-Ethynylated testosterone derivatives are potent progestins with only very weak androgenic/anabolic activity and are used as oral contraceptives or for the treatment of gynecological conditions in women. They are invariably classified as progestins rather than as AAS. However, these progestins are testosterone derivatives and do have significant androgenic/anabolic activity, sometimes producing acne and other mild androgenic effects in women. Conversely, in men, these drugs may actually have functional antiandrogen effects due to their potent progestogenic and hence antigonadotropic activity and capacity to suppress gonadal testosterone production.[3]
^Saunders, Francis J.; Drill, Victor A. (1956). "The Myotrophic and Androgenic Effects of 17-Ethyl-19-Nortestosterone and Related Compounds". Endocrinology. 58 (5): 567–572. doi:10.1210/endo-58-5-567. ISSN 0013-7227. PMID 13317831.
^LEWIS RA, DeMAJO S, ROSEMBERG E (1949). "The effects of 17-vinyl testosterone upon the rat adrenal". Endocrinology. 45 (6): 564–70. doi:10.1210/endo-45-6-564. PMID 15402199.
^Paulsen, C. Alvin; Leach, Robert B.; Lanman, John; Goldston, Norman; Maddock, W. O.; Heller, Carl G. (1962). "Inherent Estrogenicity of Norethindrone and Norethynodrel: Comparison with Other Synthetic Progestins and Progesterone1". The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 22 (10): 1033–1039. doi:10.1210/jcem-22-10-1033. ISSN 0021-972X. PMID 13942007. Androgenic effects were absent for each of the compounds in the doses administered as judged by: (a) marked decrease in libido and sexual potentia in each of 21 normal male subjects receiving norethynodrel, norethindrone and norethandrolone; (b) failure to increase libido and sexual potentia in each of four hypogonadotrophic eunuchoidal men receiving norethandrolone (each had previously responded to testosterone administration); (c) no virilization of 14 of 15 postmenopausal women receiving the three progestins (one who was taking norethandrolone at the dose level of 30 mg daily noted lowering in the pitch of her voice during the second month of therapy).
Further reading
Kicman, A T (2008). "Pharmacology of anabolic steroids". British Journal of Pharmacology. 154 (3): 502–521. doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.165. ISSN 0007-1188. PMC 2439524. PMID 18500378.
Fragkaki AG, Angelis YS, Koupparis M, Tsantili-Kakoulidou A, Kokotos G, Georgakopoulos C (2009). "Structural characteristics of anabolic androgenic steroids contributing to binding to the androgen receptor and to their anabolic and androgenic activities. Applied modifications in the steroidal structure". Steroids. 74 (2): 172–97. doi:10.1016/j.steroids.2008.10.016. PMID 19028512. S2CID 41356223.
McRobb L, Handelsman DJ, Kazlauskas R, Wilkinson S, McLeod MD, Heather AK (2008). "Structure-activity relationships of synthetic progestins in a yeast-based in vitro androgen bioassay". J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol. 110 (1–2): 39–47. doi:10.1016/j.jsbmb.2007.10.008. PMID 18395441. S2CID 5612000.
