epitestosterone

Epitestosterone is a naturally occurring endogenous steroid, specifically the 17-alpha epimer of testosterone. It is structurally similar to testosterone, differing only in the configuration at the C17 hydroxy group. Epitestosterone acts as a weak competitive antagonist of the androgen receptor and is a potent inhibitor of 5α-reductase. It has antiandrogenic effects in various tissues and may contribute to regulating androgen-dependent processes such as prostate growth and body hair distribution. While it does not enhance athletic performance, epitestosterone can be used to mask elevated testosterone levels in doping tests; thus, it is banned by many sporting authorities as a masking agent for testosterone abuse. The ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone (T/E ratio) in urine is widely used for detecting anabolic steroid abuse[1][2][5][6][7].

Other names

17-alpha-hydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one17-alpha-testosterone17-epitestosterone17alpha-cis-testosteronecis-testosteroneisotestosteroneandrost-4-en-17α-ol-3-one