Androgen ester


An androgen or anabolic steroid ester is an ester of an androgen/anabolic steroid such as the natural testosterone or dihydrotestosterone or the synthetic nandrolone. Esterification renders AAS into metabolism-resistant prohormones of themselves, improving oral bioavailability, increasing lipophilicity, and extending the elimination half-life. In addition, with intramuscular injection, AAS esters are absorbed more slowly into the body, further improving the elimination half-life. Aside from differences in pharmacokinetics, these esters essentially have the same effects as the parent drugs. They are used in androgen replacement therapy, among other indications. Examples of androgen esters include testosterone esters such as testosterone cypionate, testosterone enanthate, testosterone propionate, and testosterone undecanoate and nandrolone esters such as nandrolone decanoate and nandrolone phenylpropionate.