Desoxymethyltestosterone (DMT), known by the nicknames Madol and Pheraplex, is a

synthetic Synthetic may refer to: Science * Synthetic biology * Synthetic chemical or compound, produced by the process of chemical synthesis * Synthetic elements, chemical elements that are not naturally found on Earth and therefore have to be created in ...

and orally active

anabolic–androgenic steroid Anabolic steroids, also known as anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), are a class of drugs that are structurally related to testosterone, the main male sex hormone, and produce effects by binding to the androgen receptor (AR). Anabolism, Anaboli ...

(AAS) and a 17α-methylated

derivative In mathematics, the derivative is a fundamental tool that quantifies the sensitivity to change of a function's output with respect to its input. The derivative of a function of a single variable at a chosen input value, when it exists, is t ...

dihydrotestosterone Dihydrotestosterone (DHT, 5α-dihydrotestosterone, 5α-DHT, androstanolone or stanolone) is an endogenous androgen sex steroid and hormone primarily involved in the growth and repair of the prostate and the penis, as well as the production o ...

(DHT) which was never marketed for medical use. It was one of the first designer steroids to be marketed as a

performance-enhancing drug Performance-enhancing substances (PESs), also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. Many substances, such as anabolic steroids, can be used to improve at ...

athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...

s and

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic ...

s. Desoxymethyltestosterone is sometimes abbreviated as DMT, though it should not be confused with the

hallucinogen Hallucinogens, also known as psychedelics, entheogens, or historically as psychotomimetics, are a large and diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mo ...

dimethyltryptamine Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), also known as ''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (''N'',''N''-DMT), is a Psychedelic drug, serotonergic hallucinogen and Investigational New Drug, investigational drug of the substituted tryptamine, tryptamine family tha ...

, which is also known by the same acronym.

Side effects

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

In animal studies, desoxymethyltestosterone has been found to bind to the

androgen receptor The androgen receptor (AR), also known as NR3C4 (nuclear receptor subfamily 3, group C, member 4), is a type of nuclear receptor that is activated by binding any of the androgenic hormones, including testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, in th ...

(AR) about half as strongly as DHT, and to cause

side effect In medicine, a side effect is an effect of the use of a medicinal drug or other treatment, usually adverse but sometimes beneficial, that is unintended. Herbal and traditional medicines also have side effects. A drug or procedure usually use ...

s that are typical of 17α-alkylated AAS, such as

liver damage Liver disease, or hepatic disease, is any of many diseases of the liver. If long-lasting it is termed chronic liver disease. Although the diseases differ in detail, liver diseases often have features in common. Liver diseases File:Ground glas ...

and

left ventricular hypertrophy Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is thickening of the heart muscle of the left ventricle of the heart, that is, left-sided ventricular hypertrophy and resulting increased left ventricular mass. Causes While ventricular hypertrophy occurs ...

when taken in higher doses. Desoxymethyltestosterone is unusual in that it is structurally a 2- ene compound, lacking the 3- keto group present in almost all commercial AAS (with ethylestrenol being a rare and notable exception). 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 that 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 orchiectomized rats have demonstrated that treatment with desoxymethyltestosterone resulted only in a stimulation of the weight of the levator ani muscle; the

prostate The prostate is an male accessory gland, accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found in all male mammals. It differs between species anatomically, chemica ...

and

seminal vesicle The seminal vesicles (also called vesicular glands or seminal glands) are a pair of convoluted tubular accessory glands that lie behind the urinary bladder of male mammals. They secrete fluid that largely composes the semen. The vesicles are 5 ...

weights remained unaffected leading the authors of one study to characterize desoxymethyltestosterone as a powerful AAS with attributes of a

selective androgen receptor modulator Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are a class of drugs that tissue selectivity, selectively activate the androgen receptor in specific tissue (biology), tissues, promoting muscle and bone growth while having less effect on male re ...

(SARM) and some indication of

toxicity Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacteria, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect o ...

Chemistry

Desoxymethyltestosterone, also known as 3-desoxy-17α-methyl-δ²-5α-dihydrotestosterone (3-desoxy-17α-methyl-δ²-DHT) or as 17α-methyl-5α-androst-2-en-17β-ol, is a

androstane Androstane is a C19 steroidal hydrocarbon with a gonane core. Androstane can exist as either of two isomers, known as 5α-androstane and 5β-androstane. File:androstane.png, 5α-Androstane File:androstane 5beta.png, 5β-Androstane Pharmacolog ...

steroid A steroid is an organic compound with four fused compound, fused rings (designated A, B, C, and D) arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes t ...

and a 17α-alkylated

(DHT).

History

Desoxymethyltestosterone was invented in 1961 by Max Huffman who obtained a patent on the compound the same year. It was described in the scientific literature in 1963. However, it was never brought to market as a commercial drug. Desoxymethyltestosterone was rediscovered by chemist, AAS enthusiast, and amateur bodybuilder

Patrick Arnold Patrick Arnold (born 1966) is an American organic chemist known for introducing androstenedione, 1-androstenediol, and methylhexanamine into the dietary supplement market, and for creating the designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone, also know ...

in 2005. Arnold produced desoxymethyltestosterone and supplied it to Victor Conte of

Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative The Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) was an American company that operated from 1983 to 2003 led by founder and owner Victor Conte. In 2003, journalists Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada investigated the company's role in a drug s ...

(BALCO), an American nutritional supplement company and steroid supplier. DMT became a controlled substance in the US on January 4, 2010, and is classified as a Schedule III

anabolic steroid Anabolic steroids, also known as anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), are a class of drugs that are structurally related to testosterone, the main male sex hormone, and produce effects by binding to the androgen receptor (AR). Anabolism, Anaboli ...

under the United States

Controlled Substances Act The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is the statute establishing federal government of the United States, federal drug policy of the United States, U.S. drug policy under which the manufacture, importation, possession, use, and distribution of ...

along with

boldione Boldione, also known as androstadienedione or 1-dehydroandrostenedione, as well as 1,4-androstadiene-3,17-dione, is an important industrial Precursor (chemistry), precursor for various steroid hormones. In the United States the chemical is regu ...

and

dienedione Dienedione, also known as estra-4,9-diene-3,17-dione, is a synthetic, orally active anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) of the 19-nortestosterone group that was never introduced for medical use. It is thought to be a prohormone of dienolone. The ...

. The substance had come under scrutiny after it was found to be present in several over-the-counter

bodybuilding supplements Bodybuilding supplements are dietary supplements commonly used by those involved in bodybuilding, weightlifting, mixed martial arts, and athletics for the purpose of facilitating an increase in lean body mass. Bodybuilding supplements may contain ...

References