Detection of simultaneous self-administration of testosterone and epitestosterone in healthy men

Abstract

Combined self-administration of testosterone (T) and epitestosterone (ET) by athletes counteracts the efficiency of the corresponding urinary glucuronides (G) ratio, (T/ET)G, as an indicator of T abuse. I therefore propose 5-androstene-3β,17α-diol (5A3β17α), the immediate metabolic precursor of ET, as a new reference compound for the expression of relative excretions of T and ET. Thus (T/5A3β17α)G and (ET/5A3β17α)G become potential criteria to indicate joint administration of T and ET, since their respective threshold values (2.5 and 1.5) are exceeded even when (T/ET)G remains below the critical value of 6.