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Every compound in the sci-wiki that affects androgen receptor; the ones you can source are floated to the front, then the reference-only entries. Tap any for the full entry, mechanism, and outlets.
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AC-262536, also written AC-262,536, is a nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) first characterized by Acadia Pharmaceuticals. It acts as a partial agonist of the androgen receptor and was studied preclinically for its tissue-selective anabolic profile, producing muscle-building effects while showing comparatively weak activity on reproductive tissue such as the prostate.
ACP-105 is a potent nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) engineered to deliver the muscle- and bone-building benefits of androgens with greater tissue selectivity than testosterone. As a partial agonist at the androgen receptor, it was designed to drive anabolism in muscle and bone while limiting the unwanted effects tied to classic steroids. Its combination of anabolic potency and an intriguing signal for cognitive and neuroprotective effects has made it a standout among research-grade SARMs.
Andarine (S-4) is a non-steroidal selective androgen receptor modulator derived from arylpropionamide chemistry that binds the androgen receptor with high affinity yet acts in a tissue-selective manner. In castrated and ovariectomized rodents it restored skeletal muscle mass and strength, raised bone mineral density, and reduced body fat while stimulating the prostate and seminal vesicles far less than dihydrotestosterone; this partial-agonist behavior in androgenic organs versus full-agonist activity in muscle and bone defines the SARM concept. Its favorable pharmacokinetics, including high oral bioavailability and predominantly hepatic phase I and II metabolism, once positioned it as a clinical candidate for muscle wasting and osteoporosis. It was never approved for human use, however, and is prohibited in sport, so it is documented largely through preclinical pharmacology and anti-doping detection studies rather than clinical trials.
GSK-2881078 is one of the best-documented SARMs in humans, which alone sets it apart in a class full of guesswork. Developed by GlaxoSmithKline as a non-steroidal, tissue-selective androgen receptor agonist, it produced clean, dose-dependent gains in lean mass in older men and women and was carried into a controlled trial in patients with COPD. For anyone seeking a selective androgen receptor modulator with genuine clinical evidence and a real pharmaceutical pedigree, GSK-2881078 sits near the top of the list.
LGD-2226 is a first-generation selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) developed to build muscle and bone with far less impact on the prostate than traditional androgens. In animal studies it increased muscle and bone mass and enhanced bone strength while sparing the prostate and preserving male sexual behavior, showcasing the tissue selectivity that defines the SARM class. Orally active and non-steroidal, LGD-2226 is a notable early example of the effort to capture the benefits of androgens while minimizing their drawbacks.
Ostarine, known in drug development as enobosarm or MK-2866, is an investigational selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM). SARMs are compounds designed to stimulate the androgen receptor in a tissue-selective way, aiming to build muscle and bone like anabolic steroids but with fewer effects on organs such as the prostate. Ostarine has been studied mainly for the muscle wasting associated with cancer and related conditions, but it is not approved as a medicine anywhere; it is prohibited in sport and has been the subject of regulatory warnings over its sale in bodybuilding and supplement products.
OTR-AC is an acetate ester of ostarine (enobosarm), the most clinically characterized selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) in development. It is designed to deliver enobosarm's muscle-selective, orally active anabolic signal, building lean mass and physical function while sparing the prostate and other tissues that traditional androgens affect [3][4]. In controlled trials, enobosarm consistently increased lean body mass in older adults and cancer patients [1][2], and the acetate ester form is marketed as more potent per milligram.
RAD-150 (TLB-150 Benzoate) is a research chemical marketed as an ester form of the popular SARM RAD-140 (Testolone), promoted for building muscle and strength with a potentially longer-acting profile [1]. Like other selective androgen receptor modulators, it is intended to stimulate the androgen receptor in muscle and bone, but RAD-150 itself has no published pharmacological or clinical studies, so its profile is inferred from RAD-140 and the broader SARM class [1]. It is an unapproved, WADA-banned research chemical, and the RAD-140 family it is based on has been linked in case reports to serious cardiovascular harm [1][2][3].
S-23 is a high-affinity, orally active selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) first characterized as a candidate for hormonal male contraception. It binds the androgen receptor as a full agonist and, in animal studies, builds lean muscle mass and bone mineral density while cutting fat, a tissue-selective anabolic profile that has drawn strong interest for body recomposition. It also potently and reversibly suppresses testosterone and sperm production, which is central to both its contraceptive rationale and its cautions.
Superdrol, known generically as methasterone, is a synthetic, orally active anabolic-androgenic steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone. First prepared in the 1950s but never developed as a medicine, it later resurfaced as a designer steroid sold over the counter as a bodybuilding supplement. It is now a controlled substance and is noted chiefly for pronounced liver toxicity.
Testosterone is the principal androgen and male sex hormone, a C19 steroid produced mainly by the Leydig cells of the testes in men and in smaller amounts by the ovaries and adrenal glands in women. It drives development of male reproductive tissue and secondary sexual characteristics and supports muscle and bone mass, red-blood-cell production, libido, and sperm formation. Synthesized in the body from cholesterol, testosterone is also manufactured as a medicine, used chiefly as replacement therapy for male hypogonadism, and is regulated as an anabolic-androgenic steroid because of its potential for misuse [1].
Bicalutamide is a nonsteroidal antiandrogen, a drug that blocks the action of male sex hormones by competitively antagonizing the androgen receptor. It is used mainly in the treatment of prostate cancer, either combined with medical or surgical castration in advanced disease or, at a higher dose, as a single agent in earlier disease [1]. First approved in the mid-1990s under the brand name Casodex, it is taken as a once-daily oral tablet and is now available as a generic on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Unlike some related drugs, it reduces androgen signaling without lowering the body's production of testosterone [1].
Cyproterone acetate / ethinylestradiol is a combination medication that pairs cyproterone acetate, a progestin with strong antiandrogen activity, with ethinylestradiol, a synthetic estrogen. Sold under brand names such as Diane-35 and Dianette, it is used mainly to treat androgen-related skin conditions in women, including moderate to severe acne, seborrhea, and excess hair growth (hirsutism), while also acting as a hormonal contraceptive. Because it carries a higher risk of blood clots than some other combined pills, its use is generally reserved for these specific indications rather than contraception alone.
Danazol is a synthetic steroid, chemically derived from ethisterone, that behaves as a weak androgen and suppresses the body's reproductive hormone signaling. Introduced in the 1970s under brand names such as Danocrine, it was the first drug approved in the United States specifically for endometriosis and has also been used for fibrocystic breast disease and, notably, for the long-term prevention of attacks in hereditary angioedema. It is a prescription medicine taken by mouth, and although effective, its androgenic side effects have led newer therapies to replace it as a first choice for several of its uses.
Spironolactone is a medication that blocks the hormone aldosterone at the mineralocorticoid receptor, making it a potassium-sparing diuretic and antimineralocorticoid. It is used to treat heart failure, resistant high blood pressure, fluid retention, and primary hyperaldosteronism, and because it also weakly blocks androgen receptors it is widely prescribed for acne, hirsutism, and as part of feminizing hormone therapy. Discovered in the late 1950s, it is a generic drug on the World Health Organization's list of essential medicines.
3α-Androstanediol (5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol) is an endogenous neurosteroid formed as the terminal 3α-reduced metabolite of dihydrotestosterone (DHT, the most potent natural androgen). Despite its androgenic origin it binds the androgen receptor only weakly; its defining pharmacology is potent positive allosteric modulation of the GABA-A receptor (the brain's principal inhibitory chloride ion channel), which produces anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) and anticonvulsant (seizure-suppressing) effects in animal models. It is widely regarded as the androgenic counterpart of allopregnanolone (the analogous progesterone-derived neurosteroid), and is proposed to mediate much of the influence that testosterone exerts on seizure threshold, anxiety, and mood in males. It additionally acts as a ligand of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ), which may underlie some of its cognitive and neuroprotective actions.
Anadrol is a brand name for oxymetholone, a synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone. Introduced in the early 1960s, it is used medically to treat certain anemias by stimulating red blood cell production, and historically for conditions involving muscle wasting. Because it is 17-alpha-alkylated it can be taken by mouth, but it carries a notable risk of liver toxicity, and in many countries it is a controlled substance often misused for physique and performance enhancement.
Anavar is a brand name for oxandrolone, a synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroid developed in the early 1960s. A derivative of dihydrotestosterone with an oxygen atom substituted into its steroid ring, it is taken by mouth and is known for a relatively high ratio of anabolic to androgenic activity. It has been used medically to help patients regain weight after trauma, surgery, or severe burns and in other catabolic conditions, and it is also misused for physique and performance enhancement.
Androstenediol (androst-5-ene-3β,17β-diol, commonly abbreviated 5-androstenediol or 5-AED) is an endogenous Δ5 androstane steroid formed as a direct metabolite of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA, the most abundant circulating adrenal steroid). It sits at a branch point in steroidogenesis, functioning both as a weak, ERβ-preferring estrogen (a steroid that activates the estrogen receptor) and as a prohormone that can be converted onward to testosterone. Its most distinctive documented activity is immunomodulatory and hematopoietic; under the development code Neumune it was investigated as a radiation countermeasure that accelerates recovery of white blood cells and platelets after whole-body irradiation. Its inclusion in the neurosteroid grouping is one of exhaustiveness, since unlike allopregnanolone it has only a marginal classic neurosteroid profile at the GABA-A and NMDA receptors, and its central effects are attributed mainly to estrogen receptor beta signaling.
Androsterone (3α-hydroxy-5α-androstan-17-one) is an endogenous androstane neurosteroid (a steroid synthesized or acting within the nervous system) and a peripheral metabolite of testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone. Like its pregnane counterpart allopregnanolone, it acts as a positive allosteric modulator (an agent that enhances a receptor's response to its natural transmitter) of the GABA-A receptor (the brain's principal inhibitory ion channel), producing barbiturate-like potentiation of inhibitory neurotransmission. In rodent studies it raises seizure threshold across multiple models and is regarded as an endogenous modulator of neuronal excitability; because native androsterone is rapidly conjugated and orally poorly available, a prodrug (an inactive precursor that converts to the active drug in the body) has been investigated for epilepsy.
Metandienone, more widely known by the former brand name Dianabol, is an orally active anabolic-androgenic steroid, a synthetic relative of the male hormone testosterone. Developed in the 1950s, it was among the first such steroids to be used widely by athletes and bodybuilders to build muscle and enhance performance. It has largely been withdrawn from legitimate medical use and is now encountered mainly as a non-medical performance-enhancing drug. In the United States and many other countries it is a controlled substance and is banned in competitive sport.
Dihydroboldenone (DHB), also known as 1-testosterone, is an anabolic-androgenic steroid; chemically it is the 5-alpha-reduced form of boldenone and a close relative of DHT. It is used in bodybuilding circles for lean, dry muscle gains and strength without estrogen conversion. It has a reputation for strong anabolic activity and, like most injectable steroids, for causing painful injection sites. It is a controlled substance in many countries and is not a supplement.
Epiandrosterone (3β-hydroxy-5α-androstan-17-one; also called isoandrosterone) is an endogenous 5-alpha-reduced steroid formed from dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and androstenedione, and it is the 3-beta-hydroxyl epimer of androsterone. It circulates in humans predominantly as its sulfate ester and functions as a weak neurosteroid (a steroid that acts on neuronal receptors rather than classical nuclear hormone receptors), producing only mild modulation of the GABA-A receptor (the brain's principal inhibitory chloride ion channel) while inhibiting glycine receptors (another inhibitory ligand-gated channel concentrated in the spinal cord and brainstem). Beyond the nervous system it is a well-characterized uncompetitive inhibitor of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD, the rate-limiting enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway) and a recognized urinary marker of 5-alpha-reductase activity. Because it can be metabolized toward dihydrotestosterone (DHT, the most potent natural androgen), it is also sold over the counter as a non-methylated androgen prohormone.
Equipoise is a brand name for boldenone undecylenate, an anabolic-androgenic steroid given by injection. Chemically it is the undecylenate ester of boldenone, a synthetic relative of testosterone, and it works as a long-acting prodrug that releases boldenone slowly in the body. Once used briefly in human medicine, it is today marketed mainly for veterinary use in horses and is also used non-medically for muscle building. In many countries it is a controlled substance and is banned in competitive sport.
Masteron is a brand name for drostanolone, a synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Introduced around 1960 and once used medically, chiefly as a secondary treatment for breast cancer in women, it is now encountered mainly as a non-medical performance and physique-enhancing drug and is a controlled substance in many countries [1][2]. It is usually supplied as an injectable ester such as drostanolone propionate, and because it derives from DHT it cannot be converted into estrogen [1].
Nandrolone, chemically 19-nortestosterone, is an anabolic-androgenic steroid closely related to testosterone. Usually given as a long-acting ester such as nandrolone decanoate (Deca-Durabolin), it has been used medically for conditions involving muscle wasting, anemia, and osteoporosis, and it is also one of the most widely misused steroids in bodybuilding and sport. It is a controlled substance in many countries and has been banned in athletic competition for decades.
Primobolan is a brand name for metenolone (also spelled methenolone), an anabolic-androgenic steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is sold in two forms, an oral acetate (Primobolan) and an injectable enanthate (Primobolan Depot), and medically it has been used mainly to treat certain anemias and muscle-wasting conditions. Metenolone produces modest muscle-building effects with relatively weak androgenic activity and, unlike many oral steroids, does not convert to estrogen and is not notably toxic to the liver; it is a controlled substance in many countries and is banned in sport.
Trenbolone is a synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroid derived from nandrolone, developed for veterinary use to promote growth in cattle and never approved for humans [1][4]. It is a potent agonist of the androgen receptor and is used illicitly by some bodybuilders and athletes to build muscle, despite being a controlled substance in many countries [1]. It is typically administered as ester prodrugs such as trenbolone acetate.
Chlorodehydromethyltestosterone, sold as Oral Turinabol and often shortened to turinabol, is a synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroid taken by mouth. It is a chlorinated derivative of metandienone (Dianabol), designed to separate anabolic muscle-building effects from androgenic ones. Developed by the East German firm Jenapharm in the 1960s, it became notorious as the central drug of the state-sponsored doping of athletes in the former German Democratic Republic [1][2].
Winstrol is a brand name for stanozolol, a synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone. It is distinguished by a pyrazole ring fused to the steroid A-ring and by 17-alpha-alkylation, a modification that lets it remain active when taken by mouth. Introduced in 1962, it has been used medically for conditions such as hereditary angioedema and certain anemias, and it also became one of the most notorious performance-enhancing drugs in sport.