Androstenedione 1AD Information

Androstenedione (4-androstene 3,17-dione, also known as 1AD) is a naturally occurring steroid hormone found in meat and some plant extracts. Androstenedione is a prehormone, or a hormone that is a direct precursor of another hormone, in this case testosterone. Androstenedione and testosterone convert back and forth to each other by the action of enzyme 17-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. The only missing ingredient for androstenedione to convert to testosterone is a hydrogen in the 17th position. When androstenedione is processed in the liver, a hydrogen is added to the 17th position and androstenedione is thus converted to testosterone.

The biosynthesis pathway of testosterone production is as follows:

Cholestrol -> Pregnenolone -> DHEA -> Androstenedione -> Testosterone

There are enzymes involved at each step of this pathway, which may be limiting factors. Androstenedione is therefore better than DHEA for testosterone synthesis because DHEA is two steps away from synthesizing testosterone whereas androstenedione is a single step away, meaning that fewer enzymes are used. In addition, DHEA can be converted to other steroid hormones in the body, including estrogen, but androstenedione can only be converted to testosterone by the liver.

Androstenedione is a metabolite of testosterone, thus supplementing androstenedione increases testosterone production and the androgenic properties (male characteristics enhancing properties) associated with testosterone.

Patrick Arnold of ErgoPharm Company first discovered and brought androstenedione to the market. He wanted to develop a compound with the following properties:

• Orally active, suppressed by liver deactivation
• Converts directly and efficiently to a hormone more potent than testosterone
• Does not aromatize or produce any metabolites that aromatize-thus no formation of estrogen
• A naturally occurring hormone in man

That's when he came across the compound androstenedione 1-AD.

Androstenedione 1-AD is a prohormone which is present as an androgen metabolite in a healthy person. Technically androstenedione (1AD) is 5 alpha-androst-1en-3, 17dione but is usually referred to as 1-AD. This compound interacts with an enzyme called 17 beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase to form the active androgenic hormone called 17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one, or 1-testosterone.

How does 1-AD Androstenedione Work?

1-AD Androstenedione does not convert directly to testosterone; instead it converts to an isomer of testosterone known as 1-testosterone. Chemically the difference is that 1-testosterone has a double in the first position rather than in the fourth position as in testosterone. These two compounds are not only different in chemical terms but also in the following ways.

• Firstly, the anabolic activity of 1-testosterone is greater than that of testosterone. By the rat levator ani assay, a way that steroids have been tested for muscular activity the anabolic potency of 1-testosterone and testosterone were determined. In this test testosterone was assigned a myotrophic (anabolic to muscle) potency of 26, whereas 1-testosterone was assigned a myotrophic potency of 200. The minimal doses from which significant increases in the muscle weight were observed is what determined these potencies of testosterone and 1-testosterone. It took aover 7 times more testosterone than 2-testosterone to produce the same increase in the muscle weight. This means that much less 1-AD is required to stimulate muscles to grow than with a testosterone precursor. This makes 1-testosterone more potent compound than testosterone.
• Secondly, 1-testosterone does not get aromatize to estrogens since it is a 5alpha-reduced androgen. The precursor of 1-testosterone that is 1-AD also cannot aromatize to any extent. This makes 1-AD superior to other prohormones because all other prohormones aromatize directly or convert to a product that aromatizes. This means that chances of one getting gynecomastia (bitch tits) from 1-AD are zero and the water retention side effects compared to other prohormones is vastly reduced.

1-AD Androstenedione Oral Activity

Natural androgenic steroids are not very active orally. To see biological effects large amounts have to be taken orally. This happens because when the compound passes through the liver, the liver causes a deactivation of the compounds through the oxidation of the 17beta-hydroxyl to a 17-keto steroids. Long ago it was found that adding an alkyl group to the 17-carbon can stop this oxidation. But this alkyl derivatization greatly increases the liver toxicity. Therefore usage of such compounds is risky.

Certain structural modification was found to block the oxidative deactivation of compounds by the liver and that does not cause any liver toxicity problems. This structural modification is the introduction of a double in the1-position rather than in the 4-position. The main route of deactivation, the 17beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase reaction gets altered when a double is introduced in the 1-position rather than in the 4-position of the steroid. The way the body metabolizes the steroid gets altered. The 17beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase reaction is known as an equilibrium reaction, for steroids with doubles bond in the 4-position, this equilibrium lies towards the oxidative deactivation whereas for steroids with double bond in the 1-position the equilibrium of the reaction is shifted towards activation of the steroid. This means when 1AD androstene is taken orally, the liver primarily serves to activate the compound rather than break it down and excrete it like other prohormones. Thus large amounts of 1-AD andro taken orally will convert to 1-testosterone, which will be more stable and will not convert back to 1AD androstenedione quickly.

When 1-AD androstenedione is taken orally, a high percentage of it passes through the liver. A high percentage of 1-AD androstene is converted to its active hormone, 1-testosterone, which is extremely potent and imparts strong anabolic effects on the muscle tissue. This 1-testosterone is not easily metabolized to inactive 17-keto steroids -- rather it stays around for a while.

1-AD Androstenedione Side Effects >

More Androstenedione 1AD Info

Androstenedione has effects which make it optimal for muscle mass gain and bodybuilding. Click here for more information on androstenedione 1AD side effects

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