Testosterone propionate

Testosterone propionate
Clinical data
Trade namesTestoviron, others
Other namesTP; Testosterone propanoate; Testosterone 17β-propanoate; Propionyltestosterone; NSC-9166
Routes of
administration		Intramuscular injection, buccal
Drug classAndrogen; Anabolic steroid; Androgen ester
Legal status
Legal status
Pharmacokinetic data
BioavailabilityOral: very low
Intramuscular: very high
MetabolismLiver
Elimination half-lifeIntramuscular: 0.8 days (~20 hours)[1][2][3]
ExcretionUrine
Identifiers
  • [(8R,9S,10R,13S,14S,17S)-10,13-dimethyl-3-oxo-1,2,6,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-17-yl] propanoate
CAS Number
PubChem CID
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
ECHA InfoCard100.000.319 Edit this at Wikidata
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC22H32O3
Molar mass344.495 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
  • CCC(=O)O[C@H]1CC[C@@H]2[C@@]1(CC[C@H]3[C@H]2CCC4=CC(=O)CC[C@]34C)C
  • InChI=1S/C22H32O3/c1-4-20(24)25-19-8-7-17-16-6-5-14-13-15(23)9-11-21(14,2)18(16)10-12-22(17,19)3/h13,16-19H,4-12H2,1-3H3/t16-,17-,18-,19-,21-,22-/m0/s1
  • Key:PDMMFKSKQVNJMI-BLQWBTBKSA-N

Testosterone propionate, sold under the brand name Testoviron among others, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication which is used mainly in the treatment of low testosterone levels in men.[4][1][5] It has also been used to treat breast cancer in women.[6] It is given by injection into muscle usually once every two to three days.[5][7][8]

Side effects of testosterone propionate include symptoms of masculinization like acne, increased hair growth, voice changes, and increased sexual desire.[5] Testosterone supplementation is also known to reduce the threshold for aggressive behavior in men.[9] The drug is a synthetic androgen and anabolic steroid and hence is an agonist of the androgen receptor (AR), the biological target of androgens like testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT).[10][5] It has strong androgenic effects and moderate anabolic effects, which make it useful for producing masculinization and suitable for androgen replacement therapy.[5] Testosterone propionate is a testosterone ester and a relatively short-acting prodrug of testosterone in the body.[7][4][1] Because of this, it is considered to be a natural and bioidentical form of testosterone.[11]

Testosterone propionate was discovered in 1936 and was introduced for medical use in 1937.[12][4] It was the first testosterone ester to be marketed, and was the major form of testosterone used in medicine until about 1960.[4][5] The introduction of longer-acting testosterone esters like testosterone enanthate, testosterone cypionate, and testosterone undecanoate starting in the 1950s resulted in testosterone propionate mostly being superseded.[4][5] As such, it is rarely used today.[5][13] In addition to its medical use, testosterone propionate is used to improve physique and performance.[5] The drug is a controlled substance in many countries and so non-medical use is generally illicit.[5]

  1. ^ a b c Nieschlag E, Behre HM (13 January 2010). "Testosterone Therapy". In Nieschlag E, Behre HM, Nieschlag S (eds.). Andrology: Male Reproductive Health and Dysfunction. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 441–446. ISBN 978-3-540-78355-8.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference pmid10229906 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Rastrelli G, Reisman Y, Ferri S, Prontera O, Sforza A, Maggi M, Corona G (2019). "Testosterone Replacement Therapy". Sexual Medicine. Springer. pp. 79–93. doi:10.1007/978-981-13-1226-7_8. ISBN 978-981-13-1225-0. S2CID 240176927.
  4. ^ a b c d e Behre HM, Nieschlag E (26 July 2012). "Testosterone preparations for clinical use in males". In Nieschlag E, Behre HM, Nieschlag S (eds.). Testosterone: Action, Deficiency, Substitution. Cambridge University Press. pp. 9, 315–. ISBN 978-1-107-01290-5.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Llewellyn W (2011). Anabolics. Molecular Nutrition Llc. pp. 357–361, 413, 426, 607, 677. ISBN 978-0-9828280-1-4.
  6. ^ Bolour S, Braunstein G (2005). "Testosterone therapy in women: a review". International Journal of Impotence Research. 17 (5): 399–408. doi:10.1038/sj.ijir.3901334. PMID 15889125. S2CID 6461717.
  7. ^ a b Becker KL (2001). Principles and Practice of Endocrinology and Metabolism. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 1185, 1187. ISBN 978-0-7817-1750-2.
  8. ^ Payne AH, Hardy MP (28 October 2007). The Leydig Cell in Health and Disease. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 423–. ISBN 978-1-59745-453-7.
  9. ^ Geniole SN, Bird BM, McVittie JS, Purcell RB, Archer J, Carré JM (July 2020). "Is testosterone linked to human aggression? A meta-analytic examination of the relationship between baseline, dynamic, and manipulated testosterone on human aggression" (PDF). Hormones and Behavior. 123: 104644. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104644. PMID 31785281. S2CID 208515589.
  10. ^ Kicman AT (June 2008). "Pharmacology of anabolic steroids". British Journal of Pharmacology. 154 (3): 502–521. doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.165. PMC 2439524. PMID 18500378.
  11. ^ Santoro N, Braunstein GD, Butts CL, Martin KA, McDermott M, Pinkerton JV (April 2016). "Compounded Bioidentical Hormones in Endocrinology Practice: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement". The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 101 (4): 1318–1343. doi:10.1210/jc.2016-1271. PMID 27032319.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference pmid16746360 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference ChappleSteers2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).