Anabolic steroids
Anabolic steroids may be abused by ‘body builders’ and athletes. In the UK, 48 steroids are listed specifically and generic legislation covers certain derivatives of 17-hydroxyan drostan-3-one or 17-hydroxyestran-3-one. Methanedienone, nandrolone, oxymetholone, stanozolol, and testosterone and its esters account for most cases of abuse (Fig. 1). Further nonsteroidal anabolic compounds are also controlled, such as human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), clenbuterol, nonhuman chorionic gonadotropin, somatotropin, somatrem and somatropin. Certain anabolic steroids are scheduled in the US CSA, but these drugs are not listed in the UN Conventions. A large number of the anabolic steroids encountered in seizures are found in counterfeited packaging and the drug content may differ qualitatively or quantitatively from information on the product label. This mislabelling can be particularly frustrating to the forensic chemist trying to identify the particular steroid in the product. Formula tions may be either as tablets (Fig. 2) or as steroid esters dissolved in vegetable oil and suit able for injection. The oils may be extracted using hexane–methanol (Chiong et al. 1992) with the methanol layer being used for analysis. More recently, scientists involved in doping in sports have noted the use of so-called ‘prohormones. An example is the use of androstenedione, which has been marketed to body builders in dietary supplements and claimed to have an anabolic effect. The majority of studies have not demonstrated an anabolic effect in men taking this substance. However, it has been shown that androstenedione taken by women caused a marked increase in blood testosterone and well above the normal physiological levels of testosterone in females (Kicman et al. 2003). This has obvious health implications for women if they take these supplements with potential virilising and other effects. Serum concentrations of oestrogen in men can increase with androstenedione administration, giving rise to an increased risk of gynaecomastia. Boldione is another prohormone marketed in dietary supplements. It is converted to boldenone in the body, an anabolic steroid used in veterinary medicine which is abused by body builders. Androstenedione, boldione and boldenone are included in the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list (WADA 2008).
Steroid hormones act through the cytoplasmic steroid hormone receptors which are a part of the nuclear receptor family. Sex hormone receptors include androgen, oestrogen and progesterone receptors. Together with glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors, they constitute so-called type I receptors. Anabolic steroids produce the following physiological effects: increase in protein synthesis, muscle mass, strength, appetite and bone growth. Anabolic steroids may produce various side-effects such as elevated cholesterol levels, acne, high blood pressure, liver damage and damage to the left ventricle of the heart.
Figure 1 Some anabolic steroids which are abused: (A) testosterone, (B) stanozolol, (C) nandrolone, (D) clenbuterol, (E) boldenone.
Figure 2 Examples of some of the various forms in which anabolic steroids may be encountered. (Photograph courtesy of the Drug Control Centre, King’s College London.)
