Mebolazine (; brand names Dostalon and Roxilon; also known as dimethazine, dymethazine, di(methasterone) azine, or 2α,17α-dimethyl-5α-androstan-17β-ol-3-one azine) 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 ...
,
orally active androgen
An androgen (from Greek ''andr-'', the stem of the word meaning ) is any natural or synthetic steroid hormone that regulates the development and maintenance of male characteristics in vertebrates by binding to androgen receptors. This includes ...
/
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 ...
(AAS) and a
17α-alkylated 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 ...
of
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 is no longer marketed.
It has a unique and unusual
chemical structure
A chemical structure of a molecule is a spatial arrangement of its atoms and their chemical bonds. Its determination includes a chemist's specifying the molecular geometry and, when feasible and necessary, the electronic structure of the target m ...
, being a
dimer of
methasterone linked at the 3-position of the A-
ring
(The) Ring(s) may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
* To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell
Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV
* ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...
by an
azine group
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
, and reportedly acts as a
prodrug
A prodrug is a pharmacologically inactive medication or compound that, after intake, is metabolized (i.e., converted within the body) into a pharmacologically active drug. Instead of administering a drug directly, a corresponding prodrug can be ...
of methasterone.
Since 2008, mebolazine has been used illegally as an ingredient is some dietary supplements, including
vitamin B
B vitamins are a class of water-soluble vitamins that play important roles in cell metabolism and synthesis of red blood cells. They are a chemically diverse class of compounds.
Dietary supplements containing all eight are referred to as a vita ...
supplements, and in the United States the
Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...
has taken legal action against such manufacturers.
See also
*
Bolazine
References
{{Androgen receptor modulators
Anabolic–androgenic steroids
Androstanes
Azines (hydrazine derivatives)
Dimers (chemistry)
Hepatotoxins
Prodrugs
Withdrawn drugs