posted May 18, 2000 02:00 PM            

One of the most misunderstood subjects in the world of steroids is the
ester--the mechanism by which injectable esterified steroids like
testosterone cypionate, testosterone enanthate, and Sustanon work. If you
take a quick look around the Internet you will probably find countless
articles that consider one form of a steroid far more effective than
another. Arguments over the superiority of cypionate to enanthate, or
Sustanon to all other testosterones are of course very common. Such
arguments are in all practicality, baseless. In this report we'll take an
authoritative look at the ester and what specifically it does to a
steroid.

1.- WHAT AN ESTER IS, AND HOW IT WORKS

I'm sure that if you have taken an interest in anabolic steroids you have
noticed the similarities on the labeling of many drugs. Let's look at
testosterone for example. One can find compounds like testosterone
cypionate, enanthate, propionate, heptylate; caproate, phenylpropionate,
isocaproate, decanoate, acetate, the list goes on and on. In all such
cases the parent hormone is testosterone, which had been modified by
adding an ester (enanthate, propionate etc.) to its structure. The
following question arises: What is the difference between the various
esterified versions of testosterone in regards to their use in
bodybuilding?
An ester is a chain composed primarily of carbon and hydrogen atoms. This
chain is typically attached to the parent steroid hormone at the 17th
carbon position (beta orientation), although some compounds do carry
esters at position 3 (for the purposes of this article it is not crucial
to understand the exact position of the ester). Esterification of an
injectable anabolic/androgenic steroid basically accomplishes one thing,
it slows the release of the parent steroid from the site of injection.
This happens because the ester will notably lower the water solubility of
the steroid, and increase its lipid (fat) solubility. This will cause the
drug to form a deposit in the muscle tissue, from which it will slowly
enter into circulation as it is picked up in small quantities by the
blood. Generally, the longer the ester chain, the lower the water
solubility of the compound, and the longer it will take to for the full
dosage to reach general circulation.
Slowing the release of the parent steroid is a great benefit in steroid
medicine, as free testosterone (or other steroid hormones) previously
would remain active in the body for a very short period of time (typically
hours). This would necessitate an unpleasant daily injection schedule if
one wished to maintain a continuous elevation of testosterone (the goal of
testosterone replacement therapy). By adding an ester, the patient can
visit the doctor as infrequently as once per month for his injection,
instead of having to constantly re-administer the drug to achieve a
therapeutic effect. Clearly without the use of an ester, therapy with an
injectable anabolic/androgen would be much more difficult.
Esterification temporarily deactivates the steroid molecule. With a chain
blocking the 17th beta position, binding to the androgen receptor is not
possible (it can exert no activity in the body). In order for the compound
to become active the ester must therefore first be removed. This
automatically occurs once the compound has filtered into blood
circulation, where esterase enzymes quickly cleave off (hydrolyze) the
ester chain. This will restore the necessary hydroxyl (OH) group at the
17th beta position, enabling the drug to attach to the appropriate
receptor. Now and only now will the steroid be able to have an effect on
skeletal muscle tissue. You can start to see why considering testosterone
cypionate much more potent than enanthate makes little sense, as your
muscles are seeing only free testosterone no matter what ester was used to
deploy it.

2. - ACTIONS OF DIFFERENT ESTERS

There are many different esters that are used with anabolic/androgenic
steroids, but again, they all do basically the same thing. Esters vary
only in their ability to reduce a steroid's water solubility. An ester
like propionate for example will slow the release of a steroid for a few
days, while the duration will be weeks with a decanoate ester. Esters have
no effect on the tendency for the parent steroid to convert to estrogen or
DHT (dihydrotestosterone: a more potent metabolite) nor will it effect the
overall muscle-building potency of the compound. Any differences in
results and side effects that may be noted by bodybuilders who have used
various esterified versions of the same base steroid are just issues of
timing. Testosterone enanthate causes estrogen related problems more
readily than Sustanon, simply because with enanthate testosterone levels
will peak and trough much sooner (1-2 week release duration as opposed to
3 or 4). Likewise testosterone suspension is the worst in regards to gyno
and water bloat because blood hormone levels peak so quickly with this
drug. Instead of waiting weeks for testosterone levels to rise to their
highest point, here we are at most looking at a couple of days. Given an
equal blood level of testosterone, there would be no difference in the
rate of aromatization or DHT conversion between different esters. There is
simply no mechanism for this to be possible.
There is however one way that we can say an ester does technically effect
potency; it is calculated in the steroid weight. The heavier the ester
chain, the greater is its percentage of the total weight. In the case of
testosterone enanthate for example, 250mg of esterified steroid
(testosterone enanthate) is equal to only 180mg of free testosterone.
70mgs out of each 250mg injection is the weight of the ester. If we wanted
to be really picky, we could consider enanthate slightly MORE potent than
cypionate (I know this goes against popular thinking) as its ester chain
contains one less carbon atom (therefore taking up a slightly smaller
percentage of total weight). Propionate would of course come out on top of
the three, releasing a measurable (but not significant) amount more
testosterone per injection than cypionate or enanthate.

3.- ESTER PROFILES

Sustanon: The "king" of testosterone blends.
The four different testosterone esters in this product certainly look
appealing to the consumer, there is no denying that. But for the athlete I
think it is all just a matter of marketing (Hell, why buy one ester when
you can get four?). In clinical situations I can see some strong uses for
it. If you were undergoing testosterone replacement therapy for example,
you would probably find Sustanon a much more comfortable option than
testosterone enanthate. You would need to visit the doctor less frequently
for an injection, and blood levels should be more steadily maintained
between treatments. But for the bodybuilder who is injecting 4 ampules of
Sustanon per week, there is no advantage over other testosterone products.
In fact, the high price tag for Sustanon usually makes it a very poor buy
in the face of cheaper testosterone enanthate/cypionate. Bodybuilders
should probably stop looking at the four ester issue, and stick with
totals (Sustanon is just a 250mg testosterone ampule). Were enanthate to
be available for say $10 per amp of 250mg, and Sustanon priced nearly
double that, buying the Sustanon would be like throwing money away. If you
could get nearly double the milligram amount for the same price with
enanthate, this is the better product to go with hands down. Leave the
high priced stuff for the guys who don't know any better.

IN CONCLUSION

While the advent of esters certainly constitutes an invaluable advance in
the field of anabolic steroid medicine, clearly you can see that there is
no magic involved here. Esters work in a well-understood and predictable
manner, and do not alter the activity of the parent steroid in any way
other than to delay its release. Although the lure surrounding various
steroid products like testosterone cypionate, Sustanon, Omnadren etc.
certainly makes for interesting conversation, realistically it just
amounts to misinformation that the athlete would be better off ignoring.
Testosterone is testosterone and anyone who is going to tell you one ester
form of this (or any) hormone is much better than another one should do a
little more research, and a lot less talking.
Acetate: Chemical Structure C2H4O2.
Also referred to as Acetic Acid; Ethylic acid; Vinegar acid; vinegar;
Methanecarboxylic acid. Acetate esters delay the release of a steroid for
only a couple of days. Contrary to what you may have read, acetate esters
do not increase the tendency for fat removal. Again, there is no known
mechanism for it to do so. This ester is used on oral primobolan tablets
(metenolone acetate), Finaplix (trenbolone acetate) implant pellets, and
occasionally testosterone.
Propionate: Chemical Structure C3H6O2.
Also referred to as Carboxyethane; hydroacrylic acid; Methylacetic acid;
Ethylformic acid; Ethanecarboxylic acid; metacetonic acid; pseudoacetic
acid; Propionic Acid. Propionate esters will slow the release of a steroid
for several days. To keep blood levels from fluctuating greatly,
propionate compounds are usually injected two to three times weekly.
Testosterone propionate and methandriol dipropionate (two separate
propionate esters attached to the parent steroid methandriol) are popular
items.
Phenylpropionate: Chemical Structure C9H10O2.
Also referred to as Propionic Acid Phenyl Ester. Phenylpropionate will
extend the release of active steroid a few days longer than propionate. To
keep blood levels even, injections are given at least twice weekly.
Durabolin is the drug most commonly seen with a phenylpropionate ester
(nandrolone phenylpropionate), although it is also used with testosterone
in Sustanon and Omnadren.
Isocarpoate: Chemical Structure C6H12O2.
Also referred to as Isocaproic Acid; isohexanoate; 4-methylvaleric acid.
Isocaproate begins to near enanthate in terms of release. The duration is
still shorter, with a notable hormone level being sustained for
approximately one week. This ester is used with testosterone in the
blended products Sustanon and Omnadren.
Caproate: Chemical Structure C6H12O2.
Also referred to as Hexanoic acid; hexanoate; n-Caproic Acid; n-Hexoic
acid; butylacetic acid; pentiformic acid; pentylformic acid; n-hexylic
acid; 1-pentanecarboxylic acid; hexoic acid; 1-hexanoic acid; Hexylic
acid; Caproic acid. This ester is identical to isocarpoate in terms of
atom count and weight, but is laid out slightly different (Isocaproate has
a split configuration, difficult to explain here but easy to see on
paper). Release duration would be very similar to isocaproate (levels
sustained for approximately one weak), perhaps coming slightly closer to
enanthate due to its straight chain. Caproate is the slowest releasing
ester used in Omnadren, which is why most athletes notice more water
retention with this compound.
Enanthate: Chemical Structure C7H14O2.
Also referred to as heptanoic acid; enanthic acid; enanthylic acid;
heptylic acid; heptoic acid; Oenanthylic acid; Oenanthic acid. Enanthate
is one of the most prominent esters used in steroid manufacture (most
commonly seen with testosterone but is also used in other compounds like
Primobolan Depot). Enanthate will release a steady (yet fluctuating as all
esters are) level of hormone for approximately 10-14 days. Although in
medicine enanthate compounds are often injected on a bi-weekly or monthly
basis, athletes will inject at least weekly to help maintain a uniform
blood level.
Cypionate: Chemical Structure C8H14O2.
Also referred to as Cyclopentylpropionic acid, cyclopentylpropionate.
Cypionate is a very popular ester here in the U.S., although it is
scarcely found outside this region. Its release duration is almost
identical to enanthate (10-14 days), and the two are likewise thought to
be interchangeable in U.S. medicine. Althletes commonly hold the belief
than cypionate is more powerful than enanthate, although realistically
there is little difference between the two. The enanthate ester is in fact
slightly smaller than cypionate, and it therefore releases a small
(perhaps a few milligrams) amount of steroid more in comparison.
Decanoate: Chemical Structure C10H20O2.
Also referred to as decanoic acid; capric acid; caprinic acid; decylic
acid, Nonanecarboxylic acid. The Decanoate ester is most commonly used
with the hormone nandrolone (as in Deca-Durabolin) and is found in
virtually all corners of the world. Testosterone decanoate is also the
longest acting constituent in Sustanon, greatly extending its release
duration. The release time with Decanoate compounds is listed to be as
long as one month, although most recently we are finding that levels seem
to drop significantly after two weeks. To keep blood levels more uniform,
athletes (as they have always known to do) will follow a weekly injection
schedule.
Undecylenate: Chemical Structure C11H20O2.
Also referred to as Undecylenic acid; Hendecenoic acid; Undecenoic acid.
This ester is very similar to decanoate, containing only one carbon atom
more. Its release duration is likewise very similar (approximately 2-3
weeks), perhaps extending a day or so past that seen with decanoate.
Undecylenate seems to be exclusive to the veterinary preparation Equipoise
(boldenone undecylenate), although there is no reason it would not work
well in human-use preparations (Equipoise certainly works fine for
athletes). Again, weekly injections are most common.
Undecanoate: Chemical Structure C11H22O2.
Also referred to as Undecanoic Acid; 1-Decanecarboxylic acid; Hendecanoic
acid; Undecylic acid. Undecanoate is not a commonly found ester, and only
appears to be used in the nandrolone preparation Dynabolan, and oral
testosterone undecanoate (Andriol). Since this ester is chemically very
similar to undecylenate (it is only 2 hydrogen atoms larger), it has a
similar release duration (approximately 2-3 weeks). Although this ester is
used in the oral preparation Andriol, there is no reason to believe it
carries any properties unique of other esters. Andriol in fact works very
poorly at delivering testosterone, bolstering the idea that oral
administration is not the idea use of esterified androgens.
Laurate: Chemical structure C12H24O2.
Also referred to as Dodecanoic acid, laurostearic acid, duodecyclic acid,
1-undecanecarboxylic acid, and dodecoic acid. Laurate is the longest
releasing ester used in commercial steroid production, although longer
acting esters do exist. Its release duration would be closer to one month
than the other esters listed above, although realistically we are probably
to expect a notable drop in hormone level after the third week. Laurate is
exclusively found in the veterinary nandrolone preparation Laurabolin,
perhaps seen as slightly advantageous over a decanoate ester due to a less
frequent injection schedule. Again athletes will most commonly inject this
drug weekly, no doubt in part due to its low strength (25mg/ml or
50mg/ml).

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http://www.supervaluesport.com

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