Drostanolone propionate

The principal clinical indication of drostanolone propionate in the United States as well as international markets was the treatment of advanced inoperable breast cancer in women.

Hormonal treatment is part of the complex therapy for some kind of tumors, particularly the ones associated with hormone-active tissues like breast or prostate cancer. Some types of breast cancer cells, expressing estrogen receptors (called ER+ cancers), use estrogen for their growth and dissemination. That is why drugs that block estrogen receptors or decrease their expression on the cell membrane, antiestrogens, could limit the tumor spread and size. Drostanolone propionate has been FDA approved{{Cite web|url=http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/docs/obdetail.cfm?Appl_No=012936&TABLE1=OB_DISC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624230136/http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/docs/obdetail.cfm?Appl_No=012936&TABLE1=OB_DISC|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 24, 2016|title=Orange Book: Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations|website=www.accessdata.fda.gov|access-date=2016-03-15}} as an antiestrogenic drug for the treatment of breast cancer. By the time of its release, there were not many alternatives for patients with breast cancer and drostanolone propionate was a revolution for these patients. As it has lower androgenic rate compared to testosterone, the risk of virilization is much lighter. Due to this fact, women, who usually do not respond well to any AAS, were having much greater chance to survive cancer. Drostanolone propionate can also be used for breast tumors that do not respond well to other treatments or also as palliative care for advanced incurable tumors. The effects of the product depend of course on the dose and period of administration. The risk of virilization becomes greater with high doses and continuous administration period.

{{Androgen/anabolic steroid dosages for breast cancer}}

Drostanolone propionate is or has been used for physique- and performance-enhancing purposes by competitive athletes, bodybuilders, and powerlifters.

{{See also|Anabolic steroid#Adverse effects}}

Drostanolone propionate produces considerably less virilization in women compared to equal doses of testosterone propionate. However, since the given dosage for breast cancer was relatively high (200 mg/twice a week),{{Cite web|date=2020-01-24|title=Drostanolone propionate (Masteron) administration - The Dose for Treating Breast Cancer|url=https://masterone.online/know-the-masteron-administration.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Masterone|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001115527/https://masterone.online/know-the-masteron-administration.html |archive-date=2020-10-01 }} mild virilization including oily skin, acne, voice deepening, hirsutism, and clitoral enlargement could still occur, and marked virilization could manifest with long-term therapy. The drug has no estrogenic activity and hence has no propensity for causing gynecomastia (in males) or fluid retention. Drostanolone propionate is not known to pose a risk of hepatotoxicity.{{cite journal | vauthors = Solimini R, Rotolo MC, Mastrobattista L, Mortali C, Minutillo A, Pichini S, Pacifici R, Palmi I | display-authors = 6 | title = Hepatotoxicity associated with illicit use of anabolic androgenic steroids in doping | journal = European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences | volume = 21 | issue = 1 Suppl | pages = 7–16 | date = March 2017 | pmid = 28379599 | url = https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28379599/ }}

{{Relative androgenic to anabolic activity in animals}}

Drostanolone propionate is a prodrug of drostanolone. Like other AAS, drostanolone is an agonist of the androgen receptor (AR). It is not a substrate for 5α-reductase and is a poor substrate for 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3α-HSD), and therefore shows a high ratio of anabolic to androgenic activity. As a DHT derivative, drostanolone is not a substrate for aromatase and hence cannot be aromatized into estrogenic metabolites. While no data are available on the progestogenic activity of drostanolone, it is thought to have low or no such activity similarly to other DHT derivatives. Since the drug is not 17α-alkylated, it is not known to cause hepatotoxicity.

Drostanolone propionate, via its active form drostanolone, interacts with the AR and activates a cascade of genetic changes, including increased protein synthesis (anabolism) and decreased amino acid degradation (catabolism). It also induces a reduction or inhibition of prolactin or estrogen receptors in the breasts, which is linked to its antitumor effects.{{Cite web|url=http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims/pharm/pim901.htm|title=Drostanolone (PIM 901)|website=www.inchem.org|access-date=2016-03-15}}

Drostanolone propionate is not active via the oral route and must be administered via intramuscular injection. The elimination half-life of the drug via this route is approximately 2 days. It has a much longer elimination half-life via intramuscular injection than drostanolone. Drostanolone propionate is metabolized into drostanolone, which is the active form.

{{See also|List of androgens/anabolic steroids|List of androgen esters}}

Drostanolone propionate, or drostanolone 17β-propionate, is a synthetic androstane steroid and a derivative of DHT.{{cite book| vauthors = Elks J |title=The Dictionary of Drugs: Chemical Data: Chemical Data, Structures and Bibliographies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0vXTBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA652|date=14 November 2014|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-4757-2085-3|pages=652–}}{{cite book|title=Index Nominum 2000: International Drug Directory|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5GpcTQD_L2oC&pg=PA377|date=January 2000|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-3-88763-075-1|pages=377–}} It is the C17β propionate (propanoate) ester of drostanolone, which itself is 2α-methyl-4,5α-dihydrotestosterone (2α-methyl-DHT) or 2α-methyl-5α-androstan-17β-ol-3-one.

{{Structural properties of major anabolic steroid esters}}

Drostanolone and drostanolone propionate were first described in 1959.{{cite journal| vauthors = Ringold HJ, Batres E, Halpern O, Necoechea E |title=Steroids. CV.12-Methyl and 2-Hydroxymethylene-androstane Derivatives|journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society|volume=81|issue=2|year=1959|pages=427–432|issn=0002-7863|doi=10.1021/ja01511a040|bibcode=1959JAChS..81..427R }} The related AAS oxymetholone and methasterone (methyldrostanolone) were first described in the same paper as well. Drostanolone propionate was introduced for medical use in the United States in 1961 and in Europe shortly thereafter.{{cite book|author=William Andrew Publishing|title=Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_J2ti4EkYpkC&pg=PA1402|date=22 October 2013|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=978-0-8155-1856-3|pages=1402–}}

Drostanolone propionate is the generic name of the drug and its {{abbrlink|BANM|British Approved Name}}, while dromostanolone propionate is the {{abbrlink|USAN|United States Adopted Name}} and {{abbrlink|USP|United States Pharmacopeia}}; there is no {{abbrlink|INN|International Nonproprietary Name}} for this form.{{cite book| vauthors = Morton IK, Hall JM |title=Concise Dictionary of Pharmacological Agents: Properties and Synonyms|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tsjrCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA106|date=6 December 2012|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-94-011-4439-1|pages=106–}} The generic name of the unesterified form of the drug is drostanolone or dromostanolone and the former is its {{abbrlink|INN|International Nonproprietary Name}}, {{abbrlink|BAN|British Approved Name}}, and {{abbrlink|DCF|Dénomination Commune Française}} while there is no {{abbrlink|USAN|United States Adopted Name}}.

Drostanolone propionate was marketed under a variety of brand names including Drolban, Masterid, Masteril, Masteron, Masterone, Mastisol, Metormon, Permastril, and Prometholone.

Drostanolone propionate appears to no longer be marketed. It was previously available in the United States, Europe, and Japan. In Europe, it was specifically marketed in the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Bulgaria.

Drostanolone propionate, along with other AAS, is a schedule III controlled substance in the United States under the Controlled Substances Act.{{cite book| vauthors = Karch SB |title=Drug Abuse Handbook, Second Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZjrMBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA30|date=21 December 2006|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4200-0346-8|pages=30–}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• [https://steroidscanada.org/product/masteron-propionate-2/ Masteron Propionate Genetix Pharma]

{{Androgens and antiandrogens}}

{{Androgen receptor modulators}}

Category:Androgen esters

Category:Anabolic–androgenic steroids

Category:Androstanes

Category:Hormonal antineoplastic drugs

Category:Ketones

Category:Prodrugs

Category:Propionate esters