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Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "

12.05.2010

Analysis: P-Plex

A couple of weeks ago we wrote about a Japanese analysis of the designer supplement Epistane. In the same article the researchers mentioned an analysis of another supplement, of which the active ingredient is an anabolic steroid: P-Plex, produced by Competitive Edge Labs. According to the Japanese, P-Plex does indeed contain madol. And something else too.

P-Plex contains 17a-methyl etioallocholan-2-ene-17b-ol. At least, that's what it says on the label. Chemists call the stuff 17-alpha-methyl-5-alpha-androst-2-en-17-beta-ol, or madol for short. Madol is a steroid that Syntex developed in the early sixties, but never put on the market. Nevertheless Syntex has synthesised and tested scores of variants of the substance. Madol was produced illegally at the start of the 21st century for athletes, who were able to use it safely as it was not picked up by conventional doping tests. Once the hype in professional sports had died down and doping hunters had cracked its chemical structure [Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2005 Feb 11;19(6):781-4.], supplements manufacturers started to use madol. [washingtonpost.com October 18, 2005] Other designer supplements besides P-Plex that contain madol include P-Max, Phera-Plex, ErgoMax, Phera-Max, Phera-Bol and Phera-50.

Madol is a pretty convincing steroid. According to Vida's Androgens and Anabolic Agents (1969), to start with it has a great androgenic:anabolic ratio.

VP = effect on the prostate; SV = effect on the sperm vesicles; LA = effect on the sphincter muscle. VP and SV are markers for masculinising side effects; LA is a marker for the desired muscle building effect. The values are compared with methyl testosterone, which is adjusted to 100.

According to recent German research, Madol is not carcinogenic. [Toxicol Lett. 2008 Dec 15;183(1-3):58-64.] In animal tests it has been shown to enlarge the heart muscle, however. The animals don’t become ill, but it is a matter of concern. When steroids enlarge the heart of human athletes, it's usually not a good sign.

The Japanese analysed the pills in a pot of P-Plex, batch number 080107. They did indeed contain madol – and its delta-4 metabolite. The figure below shows the big madol Peak-3, and the small Peak-4 from the metabolite.

The height of Peak-4 would suggest that the contamination is not much. The researchers suggest that it is released during the production process.

Source:
Drug Test Anal. 2009 Nov; 1(11-12): 518-25.

More:
Wrong steroid in IBE's Epistane 27.04.2010
Lab test: Gaspari's Orastan-A contains wrong steroids 05.01.2009
Lab tests: Furaguno and Oxyguno 24.09.2008