A NEW CLASS OF POTENT CORTICAL HORMONES.1 6α-CHLOROCORTICOIDS

Identification of the anabolic steroid 6β-chlorotestosterone in a dietary supplement

Capsules that were labeled to be performance-enhancing dietary supplements obtained during an investigation were found to contain an unrecognized steroid-like substance. This compound was isolated by liquid chromatography (LC) fraction collection and characterized using several qualitative analytical techniques, including ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), liquid chromatography-high resolution accurate mass-mass spectrometry (LC-HRAM-MS), as well as ¹ H, ¹³ C, and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry. This multi-technique analytical approach was used to identify the designer steroid as 6β-chloro-4-androsten-17β-ol-3-one (6β-chlorotestosterone), an analog of testosterone about which little has been published.

From paper chromatography to drug discovery: Zaffaroni

A paper chromatography assay for adrenocortical steroids, published just as cortisone's therapeutic value in arthritis was announced, had far-reaching consequences. Its use by Upjohn scientists led to the first synthesis of cortisone. Interest in the assay also led the author to an association with Syntex S.A. in Mexico, which he was instrumental in transforming from a small chemical company into the large pharmaceutical firm, Syntex Corporation, having its base of operations in the United States. The major events of this history are described, showing how steroid product development helped establish Syntex and later played a role in the founding of ALZA Corporation.