It is no secret that the use of steroid drugs is widespread in sports. Bodybuilding is no exception. Whether this is good or bad is up to each of us to decide. But no matter how it is, it is there and there is no getting away from it.
We decided to create a pharmacology section on Ironflex to tell the whole truth about the trend in the use of steroid drugs. However, the editors of the site do not encourage or approve the use of anabolic steroids, and all materials are presented for informational purposes only.
Anabolic steroidis a class of pharmacological drugs that, in their chemical structure and pharmacological action, are close to testosterone, being its derivatives. They enhance the processes of synthesis of nucleic acids, proteins in cells, various enzymes and, thanks to this, affect almost all types of metabolism in the body.
This ultimately leads to an increase in body weight due to increased growth of muscle tissue, a decrease in the percentage of adipose tissue and an increase in physical performance: speed-strength qualities and endurance. There are two effects of testosterone: androgenic and anabolic.
The androgenic effect (masculization) manifests itself in the development of secondary male sexual characteristics – height and body structure – narrow pelvis, broad shoulders, masculine facial features, less body fat, facial hair, low voice, typical male sexual desire, aggressive behavior and etc.
The anabolic effect is associated primarily with increased growth of muscle tissue. Speaking about an anabolic steroid with a clear emphasis on the first word, they mean, firstly, the desirability of this particular effect, and, secondly, as if in contrast to the term “androgenic”, they emphasize that an attempt was made in the steroid by changing the molecular structure of testosterone enhance the function of influencing tissue growth and inhibit the function of enhancing secondary sexual characteristics.
It should be noted that drugs that would fully meet these requirements have not yet been created, and almost all anabolic steroids have a pronounced androgenic effect.
The natural testosterone molecule has been artificially modified to make it absorbed by the body more slowly to prolong the anabolic effect. It is known that if you take a dose of pure testosterone, then as a result of natural metabolic processes it will be quickly eliminated from the body by the liver, without having time to have any noticeable effect on muscle tissue and other processes, for example, providing increased endurance when performing physical work.
To achieve an anabolic effect, the drug must “linger” in the body and pass through the circulatory system several times before it is excreted from the body. They are trying to achieve this by making the molecules heavier, introducing additional radicals (a number of chemical compounds) into the chemical structure of the steroid, and using various dosage forms of anabolic drugs.
The duration of action of the drug and the strength of the effect, as well as toxicity, depend on this dosage form itself (tablet, capsule, oil solution for intramuscular injection, rectal suppository, etc.). Once in the bloodstream, anabolic steroids bind to transport proteins and, in this bound form, are distributed to all organs.
All steroids are poorly soluble in water and well in lipids (fats). Therefore, they accumulate in the lipid structures of cell membranes and other fat depots,from which they can then be involved in the bloodstream for a long time. Dosage forms of anabolic steroids in oil solutions are designed for this effect. Consequently, if steroid drugs are used in oil solutions, they will have the properties of a much longer-lasting effect on the body.
Enteral (through the gastrointestinal tract) and parenteral (bypassing the gastrointestinal tract) administration differ in that in the first case the drug will “pass” through the liver and will be exposed to its transforming enzymes, which neutralize the effect of steroids, and in the second case it will be possible to bypass these systems until the steroid makes a “second turn” through the circulatory system and encounters these transformation systems.
In the liver, anabolic steroids undergo chemical modifications and are excreted from the body in the urine in the form of bound compounds. At this stage they can be detected by anti-doping control specialists. You should know that tablet steroids are quite toxic to the liver.
Steroids intended to be injected into the body tend to be less toxic. In the human body, somatotropin (somatotropic hormone – STH) and gonadotropin – pituitary hormones – also have an anabolic effect. The first of them acts directly on tissues and organs, the second increases the synthesis of endogenous testosterone in the body. Both are prohibited for use in sports.
