DHB, short for “dihydroboldenone,” is the street name for 1-testosterone (17β-hydroxy-5α-androst-1-en-3-one), a synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS). DHB cypionate is that steroid with a cyclopentylpropionate (cypionate) ester attached, sold as an injectable oil for bodybuilding. In the early 2000s, 1-testosterone and its precursors were sold in the US as over-the-counter “prohormone” supplements, before Congress made them controlled substances (Delbeke et al., J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2002; Reilly & Crouch, J Anal Toxicol 2004).
The single most important fact: DHB cypionate has never been tested in a human clinical trial and is not an approved medicine. When FDA chemists identified it in an injectable product marketed for bodybuilding, they described it as a designer steroid that had not been reported before (Griffin et al., Drug Test Anal 2022). What is known comes from rat experiments with the unesterified steroid, one small human trial of an oral precursor, and anti-doping chemistry.
This page summarizes what laboratory studies, the one related human trial and regulators report. It is for education only and is not medical advice.
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Drug class | Synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroid; 5α-reduced isomer of testosterone, esterified |
| Other names | 1-Testosterone cypionate; Δ1-dihydrotestosterone cypionate; 17β-hydroxy-5α-androst-1-en-3-one cypionate |
| Approval | No approved medical product; identified by FDA chemists as a previously unreported designer steroid |
| Route (as sold) | Injectable oil |
| Formula / weight | C₂₇H₄₀O₃, 412.6 g/mol; the parent steroid makes up ≈70% of the weight |
| Half-life | Not measured in humans |
| Human trials | None for DHB or its cypionate ester; one 4-week trial of an oral precursor |
| US status | Schedule III controlled substance (named in the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004; esters included) |
| WADA status | Prohibited at all times (S1.1, listed as 1-testosterone) |
What it is
1-Testosterone has the same formula as testosterone, C₁₉H₂₈O₂ (288.4 g/mol), but its double bond sits between carbons 1 and 2 of the A-ring instead of between carbons 4 and 5 (PubChem CID 236666). The 5α-hydrogen makes it a relative of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is why US law calls it “Δ1-dihydrotestosterone.”
The nickname “dihydroboldenone” comes from a second way of drawing the same molecule. Boldenone has double bonds at both the 1,2 and 4,5 positions. Removing the 4,5 double bond, with the hydrogen in the 5α position, gives 1-testosterone. The name describes structure, not how boldenone works: in a human excretion study of oral boldenone, the main reduced metabolites were 5β compounds, and 5α-androst-1-ene-3,17-dione appeared only in low concentration (Schänzer & Donike, Biol Mass Spectrom 1992).
The cypionate ester is the same one used on testosterone cypionate. The ester itself has no hormonal activity; it makes the molecule more fat-soluble so that it leaves an oil depot slowly.
| Compound | Formula | Molecular weight | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Testosterone (DHB) | C₁₉H₂₈O₂ | 288.4 g/mol | PubChem CID 236666 |
| 1-Testosterone cypionate (DHB cypionate) | C₂₇H₄₀O₃ | 412.6 g/mol | PubChem CID 168322886 |
Because the weights are identical to testosterone and testosterone cypionate, the arithmetic is the same: about 70% of the ester’s weight is the parent steroid, so a labeled 100 mg would contain ≈70 mg of 1-testosterone, if the product contains what it claims.
Related library pages cover the parent and sibling steroids: Equipoise (boldenone undecylenate), boldenone cypionate, and the oral 17α-methylated analog methyl-1-testosterone (M1T).
How it works in the body
Receptor activity
The best characterization comes from a German Sport University study (Friedel et al., Toxicol Lett 2006). In cell assays, 1-testosterone bound highly selectively to the androgen receptor and strongly activated androgen-receptor-dependent genes. In rats, an equimolar dose matched testosterone propionate in stimulating growth of the prostate, seminal vesicles and levator ani muscle (a standard muscle readout in rodent steroid tests). The authors concluded it is “a typical anabolic steroid” that does not need to be metabolized to act.
These are animal and cell-culture results. No study has measured muscle, prostate or hormone responses to DHB in people.
About potency numbers. Online sources often cite DHB as several times more anabolic than testosterone, and one equine metabolism paper repeats an “anabolic potency of 200 as compared to 26 for testosterone” (Kwok et al., Drug Test Anal 2013). We could not trace that figure to an original assay. The only primary comparison we found, in rats, showed the same potency as testosterone propionate at an equimolar dose.
Estrogen
1-Testosterone was marketed to bodybuilders as an androgen that avoids the side effects of testosterone’s conversion to estrogen (Reilly & Crouch, J Anal Toxicol 2004). No human study has measured estradiol after DHB use, so this remains a marketing claim rather than a measured result.
Pharmacokinetics
There are no human pharmacokinetic data for DHB cypionate: no measured peak time, half-life or duration of hormone suppression. For comparison only, the FDA label for testosterone cypionate, which carries the same ester, gives a half-life of approximately eight days after intramuscular injection (Depo-Testosterone label). That figure was measured for testosterone, not for DHB, and should not be assumed to apply.
What is known about metabolism comes from doping-control work with oral precursors. After a single oral capsule of 1-androsterone (3β-hydroxy-5α-androst-1-en-17-one) taken by a male volunteer, urine contained 1-testosterone and several 5α-androst-1-ene metabolites. One metabolite stayed detectable for up to nine days (Parr et al., Steroids 2011). In rats, 1-testosterone and its 1-androstene relatives were converted into one another in liver and testicular tissue (Reilly & Crouch, J Anal Toxicol 2004).
Regulatory status
- Never an approved drug. No medical indication, label or approved dose exists for 1-testosterone or its esters.
- United States. The Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004, signed October 22, 2004, added “Δ1-dihydrotestosterone (a.k.a. ‘1-testosterone’)” to the federal definition of anabolic steroids, effective 90 days after enactment (Public Law 108-358). It is listed in Schedule III, which covers its “salts, esters and ethers,” so the cypionate ester is controlled as well (21 CFR 1308.13).
- Sport. 1-Testosterone is named in class S1.1 (anabolic androgenic steroids) of the WADA list, prohibited in and out of competition and classed as a non-specified substance. The class explicitly includes esters (WADA 2026 Prohibited List).
What the research shows
No trials of DHB cypionate
No randomized or controlled human study has tested injected 1-testosterone or DHB cypionate for any outcome. Claims about muscle gain, “dryness,” joint effects or injection-site pain come from anecdote, not trials.
The closest human data: an oral precursor
The only controlled human trial in this steroid family tested 1-androsterone, an oral prohormone that the body converts in part to 1-testosterone (Parr et al., Steroids 2011). Seventeen resistance-trained men (mean age 23) were randomized to 330 mg/day of 1-androsterone (n = 9) or a sugar placebo (n = 8) for 4 weeks of structured training (Granados et al., J Appl Physiol 2014):
| Outcome (change over 4 weeks) | 1-Androsterone 330 mg/day | Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Lean body mass | +6.3% | +0.5% |
| Fat mass | −24.6% | −9.5% |
| Back squat 1RM | +14.3% | +5.7% |
| Competition total | +12.8% | +5.9% |
| HDL cholesterol | −38.7% | No significant change |
| LDL cholesterol | +32.8% | No significant change |
| AST (liver enzyme) | +113.8% (p = 0.05) | No significant change |
| Serum creatinine | +19.6% | No significant change |
| Glomerular filtration rate | −18.0% | No significant change |
The authors concluded that the harm outweighed any benefit. The trial was small and short, used an oral precursor rather than injected DHB, and did not measure the men’s own testosterone, LH or FSH.
Side effects and risks
Because there are no human safety data for DHB cypionate, its risks can only be inferred from related evidence. The direction of that evidence is consistent: Friedel et al. wrote that use “has to be assumed” to carry the adverse effects typical of anabolic steroids (Toxicol Lett 2006).
Cholesterol and cardiovascular markers
In the oral precursor trial, HDL (“good” cholesterol) fell by about 39% and LDL rose by about 33% within 4 weeks. The LDL-to-HDL ratio rose by 120% (Granados et al., 2014).
Liver and kidney
- In rats, 1-testosterone significantly increased liver weight, which testosterone propionate did not (Friedel et al., 2006).
- In men taking the oral precursor, AST roughly doubled, serum albumin fell 5.1% and alkaline phosphatase fell 16.4% (Granados et al., 2014).
- Kidney markers worsened in the same trial: creatinine rose 19.6% and estimated filtration fell 18.0%.
Whether injected DHB cypionate carries the same liver and kidney signal as the oral precursor has not been studied.
Hormonal suppression and fertility
No study has measured LH, FSH, testosterone or sperm counts during or after DHB use. Other potent androgens suppress the body’s own testosterone and sperm production (see testosterone cypionate), and there is no evidence that DHB is an exception.
Product quality
DHB cypionate is made and sold outside the regulated drug supply. Its first documented identification was in an injectable bodybuilding product analyzed by the FDA’s Forensic Chemistry Center (Griffin et al., 2022). Earlier, a commercial 1-androstenediol supplement in this family was found to be contaminated with several other anabolic steroids (Delbeke et al., J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2002). Dose, identity and sterility of such products are not verified by any regulator.
Key takeaways
- DHB is 1-testosterone. “Dihydroboldenone” is a structural nickname; the molecule is a 5α-reduced isomer of testosterone, and the cypionate is the same ester used on testosterone cypionate.
- No human trials. DHB cypionate has never been tested in a controlled human study, and its half-life in people is unknown.
- A potent androgen in the lab. In rats it matched testosterone propionate on muscle and prostate growth at an equimolar dose and increased liver weight.
- The closest human data show harm. An oral precursor added lean mass and strength over 4 weeks but cut HDL by about 39% and worsened liver and kidney markers.
- Controlled and banned. It is a Schedule III substance in the US, esters included, and is prohibited at all times under WADA’s S1.1 class.
Sources
- Griffin KM, Lorenz LM, Flurer RA. Identification of the designer steroid 17β-hydroxy 5α-androst-1-en-3-one cypionate in an injectable liquid. Drug Test Anal. 2022;14(4):768–773. PubMed.
- Friedel A, Geyer H, Kamber M, et al. 17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one (1-testosterone) is a potent androgen with anabolic properties. Toxicol Lett. 2006;165(2):149–155. PubMed.
- Granados J, Gillum TL, Christmas KM, Kuennen MR. Prohormone supplement 3β-hydroxy-5α-androst-1-en-17-one enhances resistance training gains but impairs user health. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2014;116(5):560–569. PubMed.
- Parr MK, Opfermann G, Geyer H, et al. Seized designer supplement named “1-Androsterone”: identification as 3β-hydroxy-5α-androst-1-en-17-one and its urinary elimination. Steroids. 2011;76(6):540–547. PubMed.
- Schänzer W, Donike M. Metabolism of boldenone in man: gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric identification of urinary excreted metabolites and determination of excretion rates. Biol Mass Spectrom. 1992;21(1):3–16. PubMed.
- Reilly CA, Crouch DJ. Analysis of the nutritional supplement 1AD, its metabolites, and related endogenous hormones in biological matrices using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. J Anal Toxicol. 2004;28(1):1–10. PubMed.
- Kwok WH, Ho EN, Leung GN, et al. Metabolic studies of 1-testosterone in horses. Drug Test Anal. 2013;5(2):81–88. PubMed.
- Delbeke FT, Van Eenoo P, Van Thuyne W, Desmet N. Prohormones and sport. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2002;83(1-5):245–251. PubMed.
- National Center for Biotechnology Information. 1-Testosterone, PubChem CID 236666. PubChem.
- National Center for Biotechnology Information. 1-Testosterone cypionate, PubChem CID 168322886. PubChem.
- Pfizer. Depo-Testosterone (testosterone cypionate) injection, prescribing information. DailyMed.
- Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004. Public Law 108-358, 118 Stat. 1661. October 22, 2004. govinfo.
- Schedules of controlled substances: Schedule III. 21 CFR 1308.13. eCFR.
- World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List: International Standard. In effect January 1, 2026. WADA 2026 Prohibited List.