Re: But what about . . .
Fortes said:
I went to Syntrax's website and read their article "The Making of Orally Active Steroids." I took Chemistry in highschool, but I got a B and I slept through most of it so I know I can't really hang with super-genius steroid chemists like Pat. However, I read the Syntrax THP ether idea and it sounded very compelling. The guy who wrote it mentioned an Ether based steroid called Mepistanolone (developed by some Japanese pharmaceutical co.) or something and stated that the reason a steroidal ether would work is because it is SUPERLIPOPHILIC, meaning it clings to nonpolar solvents within the body, and would/could be absorbed completely by the Lymphatic system, hence bypassing the liver, because of its affinity for the largely lipid based lymphatic system.
Maybe I just completely butchered that article, but that's what I remembered, and it sounded very professional, scientific and compelling all at the same time. Sound like a scam to you, Pat? Because to me it sounds pretty damn good. This syntrax guy can't just go on mentioning that effective, steroidal ether technology was developed by some japanese pharmaceutical company if it wasn't true - if he did, he might as well have flushed his whole companies reputation down the toilet!
Man, if Biotest really is scamming people with Mag-10, they are going to get their reputation royally FUCKED! I feel sorry for them . . . ever since poliquin left, it seems like the website has become a big marketing front. I know these guys have to make money, but do they really have to hype their supps so much? I do frequent T-mag, but I generally stick to their archives section.
I wrote about lipophilic steroid derivatives in an article several months ago. Here is excerpt:
Lipophilic steroid derivatives
After ingestion, most steroids make their way to the intestines where they are absorbed into the portal circulation. The portal circulation carries the steroid directly to the liver, which is the workhouse of destructive metabolism and inactivation of drugs. As a result, if the steroid is not protected in some way, very little will make it through the liver and into the rest of the body where it can do its magic.
In addition to the portal route, there is another route through which substances can be absorbed into the body from the intestine. If a substance is lipophilic (fat like) enough it will be absorbed in the same manner that dietary fat is. Dietary fat is incorportated into chylomicra, which are small fat globules composed of protein and fat. These chylomicra are absorbed into the lymphatic circulation, which by passes the liver. If you make a steroid lipophilic enough by altering its structure, then it too will incorportate into chylomicra and absorb into the lymphatic system. Once in the lymphatic system it can cross over into the general blood circulation, making it there without being subjected to the massive metabolic breakdown in the liver.
Scientists have found that by adding lipophilic side chains to steroids, they will to some extent be absorbed into the lymphatic system. If the side chain is linked on in such a way that it can hydrolyze (break apart) easily after being absorbed, the steroid is essentially rendered orally active. Two side chains that have been utilized to increase the oral bioavailability of steroids through increased lymphatic absorption are long chain alkyl ester groups, such as is seen with testosterone undecanoate (andriol), and enyl ether groups, such as is seen with quinbolone (anabolicum vaster).
The term "orally active" is of course a relative term. Lipophilically modified steroids are more orally active than the free parent steroids, however, they are no where near as active as the 17alpha-alkylated steroids. Testosterone undecanoate (TU) is probably the most commonly known lipophilically modified androgen, and it is not considered a very potent compound (its recommended daily dosage is about 240mg). In fact, one study found the oral administration of testosterone undecanoate led only to an absolute testosterone bioavailability of 6.83 +/- 3.32%. That is very slight, especially considering the fact that in the same study they found the bioavailability of straight testosterone to be 3.56 +/- 2.45% (Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet 1986 Apr-Jun;11(2):145-9). That means TU is just a little less than twice as orally active as free testosterone, which is unimpressive to say the least.
The other problem with lipophilic steroid preparations is the high variability in absorption from one person to another. In other words, one guy might absorb the stuff very well while the other guy might absorb very little. There is also high variation within individuals themselves, depending on their gastrointestinal condition when they take the stuff. In another study, ten post-menopausal women were given 40 mg of TU and their peak blood values were recorded. The values varied widely - more than ten fold (range: 5.8-64.0 nmol/L) - amongst the subjects (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1998 Nov;83(11): 3920-4).
There is no specific data I can find on the bioavailabilty of enyl ether compounds, but since their mode of action is identical to long chain alkyl ester compounds like TU, it is a fair assumption that they too are not outstandingly high in oral bioavailability, or in consistency of absorption. What I do know is that the one and only enyl ether oral steroid on the market today (quinbolone) is generally regarded by european bodybuilders / athletes as too weak to even bother taking.
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