1-Testosterone is an anabolic steroid

Anabolic steroid

Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...

 that differs from testosterone

Testosterone

Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...

 by having a 1,2-double bond instead of 4,5-double bond in its A ring. It was legally sold as a prohormone

Prohormone

A prohormone is a substance that is a precursor to a hormone, usually having minimal hormonal effect by itself. The term has been used in medical science since the middle of the 20th century. The primary function of a prohormone is to enhance the strength of the hormone that already occurs in the...

 in the United States until 2005, when it was reclassified as a Schedule III drug.

A 2006 study determined that 1-testosterone has a high androgenic and anabolic potency even without being metabolized, so it can be characterized as a typical anabolic steroid. 1-Testosterone binds highly selective to the androgen receptor

Androgen receptor

The androgen receptor , also known as NR3C4 , is a type of nuclear receptor that is activated by binding of either of the androgenic hormones testosterone or dihydrotestosterone in the cytoplasm and then translocating into the nucleus...

 (AR) and has a high potency to stimulate AR dependent transactivation

Transactivation

In molecular biology and genetics, transactivation is an increased rate of gene expression triggered either by biological processes or by artificial means.- Natural transactivation :...

. In vivo, an equimolar dose of 1-testosterone has the same potency to stimulate the growth of the prostate

Prostate

The prostate is a compound tubuloalveolar exocrine gland of the male reproductive system in most mammals....

, the seminal vesicles and the androgen sensitive levator ani

Levator ani

The levator ani is a broad, thin muscle, situated on the side of the pelvis.It is attached to the inner surface of the side of the lesser pelvis, and unites with its fellow of the opposite side to form the greater part of the floor of the pelvic cavity....

 muscle as the reference AAS testosterone propionate, but unlike it, 1-testosterone also increases liver weight.

Doping

Doping (sport)

The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...

 with 1-testosterone can be detected in urine samples using gas chromatography.

A prodrug

Prodrug

A prodrug is a pharmacological substance administered in an inactive form. Once administered, the prodrug is metabolised in vivo into an active metabolite, a process termed bioactivation. The rationale behind the use of a prodrug is generally for absorption, distribution, metabolism, and...

 of 1-testosterone is 5α-androst-1-ene-3,17-dione, which may be synthesized from stanolone acetate

Acetate

An acetate is a derivative of acetic acid. This term includes salts and esters, as well as the anion found in solution. Most of the approximately 5 billion kilograms of acetic acid produced annually in industry are used in the production of acetates, which usually take the form of polymers. In...

.