Drostanolone

Drostanolone

Legal status
Legal status	CA: Schedule IV
Identifiers
IUPAC name (2R,5S,8R,9S,10S,13S,14S,17S)-17-hydroxy- 2,10,13-trimethyl-1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17- tetradecahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-one
CAS Number	58-19-5 Y
PubChem (CID)	6011
ChemSpider	5789 N
UNII	7DR7H00HDT N
ChEMBL	CHEMBL1582 N
ECHA InfoCard	100.000.334
Chemical and physical data
Formula	C20H32O2
Molar mass	304.46 g/mol
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
SMILES C[C@@H]1C[C@]2([C@@H](CC[C@@H]3[C@@H]2CC[C@]4([C@H]3CC[C@@H]4O)C)CC1=O)C
InChI InChI=1S/C20H32O2/c1-12-11-20(3)13(10-17(12)21)4-5-14-15-6-7-18(22)19(15,2)9-8-16(14)20/h12-16,18,22H,4-11H2,1-3H3/t12-,13+,14+,15+,16+,18+,19+,20+/m1/s1 N Key:IKXILDNPCZPPRV-RFMGOVQKSA-N N
NY (what is this?)

Drostanolone (INN), also known as dromostanolone, is an anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS). Drostanolone is a part of the dihydrotestosterone (DHT) family. Drostanolone itself has never been marketed; it is instead used as the ester prodrug drostanolone propionate (brand names Masteron, Drolban). Its main medical uses (as drostanolone propionate) include lowering cholesterol levels and as an antineoplastic agent in the treatment of some cancers.

Drostanolone binds to the androgen receptor and activates a cascade of genetic changes, which increases the protein synthesis (anabolism) and decreases the amino acids degradation (catabolism). Other effects of drostanolone are reduction or inhibition of prolactin or estrogen receptors, which are linked to its antitumor properties.

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- anti-estrogens- could limit the tumor spread and size. Drostanolone has been FDA approved as an anti-estrogenic drug for the treatment of breast cancer. By the time of its release, there were not many alternatives for patients suffering from breast cancer and drostanolone 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 anabolic steroids, were having much greater chance to survive cancer. Drostanolone 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.