Dihydroboldenone (1-testosterone)

updated

Dihydroboldenone, sold as DHB, is the chemical 1-testosterone (17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one). It is not boldenone, and DHB in chemistry most commonly means 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, an unrelated compound. No controlled human study exists: the only pharmacology paper concludes it is a very potent androgen whose adverse effects typical of anabolic steroids must be assumed, and the only human exposure is one volunteer's urine after an oral prohormone capsule.

5-alpha-reduced androgen (anabolic androgenic steroid)

  • Dihydroboldenone, sold as DHB, is 1-testosterone (PubChem CID 236666, C19H28O2, molecular weight 288.4, CAS 65-06-5). DHB in chemistry most commonly means 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, an unrelated compound, and it does not mean boldenone.
  • Boldenone is a different molecule (CID 13308, C19H26O2, CAS 846-48-0) with a 1,4-diene; 1-testosterone has one double bond at the 1-position on a 5-alpha-reduced A ring, and the two are separate DEA schedule entries.
  • In the only pharmacology paper, an equimolar dose matched testosterone propionate in prostate, seminal vesicle and levator ani growth and significantly increased liver weight; the abstract does not name the species.
  • The only human exposure is one male volunteer's urine after a single oral prohormone capsule, which showed 1-testosterone forms in the body. No efficacy, hormone or safety outcome was reported.
  • 1-Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance (21 CFR 1308.13(f)(24)) with no approval in any species, and the WADA 2026 Prohibited List names it under S1.1.
  • A PubMed search on 9 October 2026 for the exact chemical name returned 6 records; none is a controlled human efficacy trial, a human pharmacokinetic study or a report of injection problems.

What is dihydroboldenone, and is it the same as boldenone?

Dihydroboldenone, sold as DHB, is the chemical 1-testosterone. It is not boldenone, and DHB in chemistry most commonly means 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, an unrelated compound. 1-Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance with no approval in any species.

The compound sold as dihydroboldenone, and abbreviated DHB by sellers, is 1-testosterone: PubChem CID 236666, C19H28O2, molecular weight 288.4, CAS 65-06-5, chemically 17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one. PubChem synonyms for this record include 1-testosterone, Delta1-dihydrotestosterone, 1-Testo and 1-Androstene-17-ol-3-one. DHB here means 1-testosterone only. In chemistry the same abbreviation most commonly means 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, an unrelated compound, and it does not mean boldenone.

Boldenone is a different molecule: PubChem CID 13308, C19H26O2, molecular weight 286.4, CAS 846-48-0, 17beta-hydroxyandrosta-1,4-dien-3-one, also called 1,2-dehydrotestosterone. Boldenone has two ring double bonds, a 1,4-diene, while 1-testosterone has one, at the 1-position on a 5-alpha-reduced A ring. The two differ by two hydrogens and are separate entries in the DEA schedules. Treating dihydroboldenone as boldenone without the ester, or as a boldenone metabolite product, describes the wrong compound.

Two naming traps follow. First, the name dihydroboldenone is nearly absent from the scientific record: a PubMed search on 9 October 2026 returned 1 record, an analytical chemistry paper, and PubChem does not resolve the name at all. The scientific name is 1-testosterone. Second, DHB in chemistry most commonly means 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (PubChem CID 3469, C7H6O4, molecular weight 154.12), a standard MALDI matrix compound, so a literature search for DHB returns that compound and not this one.

In the United States, 1-testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance: 21 CFR 1308.13(f)(24) lists it among anabolic steroids, DEA code 4000, covering salts, esters and ethers. Boldenone is listed separately at (f)(11) and the 17-alpha-methylated analog at (f)(60). An openFDA Drugs@FDA substance-name query for 1-testosterone returned no matches on 9 October 2026. A DailyMed search returns only testosterone 1% gel products, a name-matching artifact for a different drug. The WADA 2026 Prohibited List, in effect 1 January 2026, names 1-testosterone under S1.1, prohibited at all times as a non-specified substance. Boldenone does have a US approval, but only in animals: 21 CFR 522.204 covers boldenone undecylenate injection for horses, by prescription only. 1-Testosterone has no approval in any species. Legal status outside the United States is not covered here.

PubChem: 1-testosterone identity

Chemical identity record

PubChem, National Library of Medicine. Compound summary for CID 236666, 1-testosterone.

The compound sold as dihydroboldenone is 1-testosterone: PubChem CID 236666, C19H28O2, molecular weight 288.4, CAS 65-06-5, chemically 17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one. PubChem synonyms for this CID include 1-testosterone, Delta1-dihydrotestosterone, Delta(1)-dihydrotestosterone, 1-Testo and 1-Androstene-17-ol-3-one. The 5-alpha-reduced relationship to boldenone is what the vendor name encodes.

Participants / model
Chemical identity, not a clinical population
Treatment
Defined molecule
Follow-up
Not applicable
Study design
Chemical database record
Funding
not stated in the source

Identity record only. It says nothing about activity or safety in people.

Read the original source
PubChem: boldenone, a different molecule

Chemical identity record

PubChem, National Library of Medicine. Compound summary for CID 13308, boldenone.

Boldenone is a different molecule: PubChem CID 13308, C19H26O2, molecular weight 286.4, CAS 846-48-0, 17beta-hydroxyandrosta-1,4-dien-3-one, also called 1,2-dehydrotestosterone. Boldenone has two ring double bonds (a 1,4-diene), while 1-testosterone has one, at the 1-position on a 5-alpha-reduced A ring. They differ by two hydrogens and are listed as separate entries in the DEA schedules.

Participants / model
Chemical identity, not a clinical population
Treatment
Defined molecule
Follow-up
Not applicable
Study design
Chemical database record
Funding
not stated in the source

A page that treats dihydroboldenone as boldenone without the ester, or as a boldenone metabolite product, describes the wrong compound.

Read the original source
PubChem: 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, the usual meaning of DHB in chemistry

Chemical identity record

PubChem, National Library of Medicine. Compound summary for CID 3469, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid. Name searches for dihydroboldenone run 9 October 2026 in PubMed and PubChem.

The abbreviation DHB in chemistry most commonly means 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, PubChem CID 3469, C7H6O4, molecular weight 154.12, a standard MALDI matrix compound and an entirely unrelated substance. A search for DHB in a literature database returns that compound, not 1-testosterone. The name dihydroboldenone is nearly absent from the scientific record: a PubMed search on 9 October 2026 returned 1 record, an analytical chemistry paper, and a PubChem name lookup for dihydroboldenone does not resolve at all. The scientific name is 1-testosterone.

Participants / model
Chemical identity and nomenclature, not a clinical population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Name searches run on 9 October 2026
Study design
Chemical database record and dated name search
Funding
not stated in the source

Identity and abbreviation collision. This compound is unrelated to 1-testosterone.

Read the original source
Schedule III (f)(24); no human approval

Regulatory record

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, section 1308.13, Schedule III. openFDA Drugs@FDA substance-name query and DailyMed search run 9 October 2026.

21 CFR 1308.13(f)(24) lists Delta1-dihydrotestosterone (also called 1-testosterone) (17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one) among anabolic steroids in Schedule III, DEA code 4000, covering salts, esters and ethers. Boldenone is listed separately at (f)(11) and the 17-alpha-methylated analog at (f)(60). There is no human approval: an openFDA Drugs@FDA substance-name query for 1-TESTOSTERONE returned no matches on 9 October 2026, and a DailyMed search for the same term returns only testosterone 1% gel products, which are a name-matching artifact and a different drug.

Participants / model
Regulatory records, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Current eCFR; queries run 9 October 2026
Study design
Codified federal regulation and official FDA queries
Funding
not stated in the source

Legal status outside the United States is not covered.

Read the original source
WADA S1.1; boldenone approved only in horses

Regulatory record

World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List, in effect 1 January 2026. Boldenone veterinary approval from 21 CFR 522.204.

The WADA 2026 Prohibited List names 1-Testosterone (17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one) under S1.1, anabolic androgenic steroids, prohibited at all times as a non-specified substance, and lists Boldenone separately in the same section. Boldenone does have a US approval, but only in animals: 21 CFR 522.204 approves boldenone undecylenate injection for horses, as an aid in treating debilitated horses, by prescription only and not for horses intended for human consumption. 1-Testosterone has no approval in any species.

Participants / model
Anti-doping and veterinary regulatory records, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
List in effect 1 January 2026
Study design
Official anti-doping record and codified federal regulation
Funding
not stated in the source

Shows the approval boundary between the two molecules. Veterinary label strengths are not reproduced.

Read the original source

What did the potency and horse studies find?

In the only pharmacology paper, 1-testosterone bound the androgen receptor selectively, matched testosterone propionate in prostate, seminal vesicle and levator ani growth at an equimolar dose, and raised liver weight. The abstract does not name the species. Horse work covers metabolism only.

1-Testosterone binds the androgen receptor highly selectively and potently stimulates AR-dependent transactivation. In vivo, an equimolar dose had the same potency as testosterone propionate at stimulating growth of the prostate, the seminal vesicles and the androgen-sensitive levator ani muscle. Unlike testosterone propionate, it significantly increased liver weight. The authors conclude it is a very potent androgen with high androgenic and anabolic potency, that it can be characterized as a typical anabolic steroid, and that adverse effects typical for the class must be assumed.

One limit applies to this result. The abstract does not name the species used for the in vivo work, and the endpoints are the standard organ-weight endpoints of rodent androgen assays. The organ-weight findings are therefore reported here without a species.

The only other animal work is in horses. Two Thoroughbred geldings were each given 1-testosterone orally by stomach tube. Parent drug and eight urinary metabolites were identified, and parent drug was detectable up to 30 hours post-administration. This is racing-control metabolism work and does not describe effects.

Only pharmacology paper: potency matched testosterone propionate

Animal study

Friedel A et al. Toxicol Lett. 2006;165(2):149-55. PMID 16621347.

1-Testosterone binds the androgen receptor highly selectively and potently stimulates AR-dependent transactivation. In vivo, an equimolar dose had the same potency as testosterone propionate at stimulating growth of the prostate, the seminal vesicles and the androgen-sensitive levator ani muscle. Unlike testosterone propionate, 1-testosterone administration significantly increased liver weight. The authors conclude it is a very potent androgen with high androgenic and anabolic potency, that it can be characterized as a typical anabolic steroid, and that adverse effects typical for the class must be assumed.

Participants / model
In vivo model whose species the abstract does not state; endpoints are prostate, seminal vesicle, levator ani and liver weight
Treatment
1-Testosterone versus testosterone propionate, equimolar
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Preclinical pharmacology study (receptor assays and organ-weight endpoints)
Funding
not stated in the source

The abstract does not name the species, and the endpoints are the standard organ-weight endpoints of rodent androgen assays. The potency result is therefore reported without a species.

Read the original source
Two horses: parent drug and 8 urinary metabolites

Animal study

Kwok WH et al. Drug Test Anal. 2013;5(2):81-8. PMID 22715048.

Two Thoroughbred geldings were each given 800 mg of 1-testosterone orally by stomach tube. Parent drug and eight urinary metabolites were identified, and parent drug was detectable up to 30 hours post-administration.

Participants / model
Two Thoroughbred geldings
Treatment
Oral 1-testosterone by stomach tube, 800 mg per horse
Follow-up
Detection followed to 30 hours post-administration
Study design
Metabolite identification and detection-window study for racing control
Funding
not stated in the source

Horse metabolism work. The dose was an experimental administration to identify metabolites and is not a use dose.

Read the original source

Has 1-testosterone been studied in people?

No controlled human study exists. The only human exposure in the indexed literature is one male volunteer who took a single oral prohormone capsule, which showed that 1-testosterone forms in the body. It reports no efficacy, hormone-suppression or safety outcome.

A seized product branded 1-Androsterone, labeled to contain 1-androstene-3b-ol,17-one, was confirmed to contain 3beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-17-one as labeled. After a single capsule was given orally to one male volunteer, 1-testosterone was among the main urinary metabolites detected, alongside 1-androstenedione and three androstene diols. The volunteer's urinary steroid profile was altered, including the androsterone to etiocholanolone ratio, the 5alpha to 5beta androstanediol ratio and 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone concentration. One characteristic metabolite remained detectable up to 9 days after a single capsule.

A PubMed search on 9 October 2026 for the exact chemical name returned 6 records: the potency study, the equine metabolism study, the prohormone volunteer study, a pig steroid metabolism review, an isotope ratio mass spectrometry method paper and a synthesis paper. A free-text search on 1-testosterone is unusable because it matches 1% testosterone gel papers. A ClinicalTrials.gov query for dihydroboldenone returned no studies. There is no controlled human efficacy trial, no human pharmacokinetic study and no injectable human formulation in these records.

One volunteer, one capsule: 1-testosterone among urinary metabolites

Human study

Parr MK et al. Steroids. 2011;76(6):540-7. PMID 21310167.

A seized product branded 1-Androsterone, labeled to contain 1-androstene-3b-ol,17-one, was confirmed to contain 3beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-17-one as labeled. After a single capsule was given orally to one male volunteer, 1-testosterone (17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one) was among the main urinary metabolites detected, alongside 1-androstenedione and three androstene diols. The volunteer's urinary steroid profile was altered, including the androsterone to etiocholanolone ratio, the 5alpha to 5beta androstanediol ratio and 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone concentration. One characteristic metabolite remained detectable up to 9 days after a single capsule.

Participants / model
One male volunteer
Treatment
Single oral capsule of a seized prohormone product
Follow-up
Urinary detection followed up to 9 days
Study design
Analytical metabolite identification study
Funding
not stated in the source

Shows 1-testosterone forms in a person from an oral prohormone. It reports no efficacy, hormone-suppression or safety outcome.

Read the original source
PubMed: 6 records, no human efficacy or injection report

PubMed search record

PubMed search for 17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one, run 9 October 2026. Further searches and a ClinicalTrials.gov query for dihydroboldenone were run the same day.

A PubMed search on the exact chemical name returned 6 records: the potency study, the equine metabolism study, the prohormone volunteer study, a pig steroid metabolism review, an isotope ratio mass spectrometry method paper and a synthesis paper. A free-text search on 1-testosterone is unusable because PubMed matches it to 1% testosterone gel papers. A search for 1-testosterone or dihydroboldenone with injection site, abscess, myositis or intramuscular returned 9 records, all of them testosterone gel and testosterone therapy papers with no bearing on this molecule. A ClinicalTrials.gov query for dihydroboldenone returned no studies. There is no controlled human efficacy trial, no human pharmacokinetic study, no injectable human formulation, and no published case report or series describing injection site pain, abscess or any other tolerability problem with this compound.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Searches run on 9 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 9 October 2026. Injection and tolerability reports in supplier text are user reports, and the absence of a published record is not proof that such problems do not occur.

Read the original source

Is dihydroboldenone mild, non-aromatizing and hard to inject?

Potent is supported, mild on paper is contradicted by the only pharmacology paper, and non-aromatizing is an expectation from the chemical structure, not a measurement. Injection and tolerability problems in supplier text have no published record.

Sellers describe dihydroboldenone as potent and non-aromatizing, mild on paper, and discouraged because of tolerability and injection problems. Potent is supported, in an organ-weight study: the equimolar dose matched testosterone propionate in prostate and seminal vesicle growth, so it was not tissue-sparing in that study. Mild on paper is contradicted by that same paper, which also recorded a liver weight increase that testosterone propionate did not produce.

Non-aromatizing is consistent with a 5-alpha-reduced A ring. No aromatization assay for this molecule was located, so this page attributes the claim to its chemical structure and not to a measurement.

The tolerability and injection problems have no published record at all: a PubMed search for 1-testosterone or dihydroboldenone with injection site, abscess, myositis or intramuscular returned 9 records, all testosterone gel and testosterone therapy papers. That is not the same as the problems being false. They are user reports, and no published study would have documented them either way.

Only pharmacology paper: potency matched testosterone propionate

Animal study

Friedel A et al. Toxicol Lett. 2006;165(2):149-55. PMID 16621347.

1-Testosterone binds the androgen receptor highly selectively and potently stimulates AR-dependent transactivation. In vivo, an equimolar dose had the same potency as testosterone propionate at stimulating growth of the prostate, the seminal vesicles and the androgen-sensitive levator ani muscle. Unlike testosterone propionate, 1-testosterone administration significantly increased liver weight. The authors conclude it is a very potent androgen with high androgenic and anabolic potency, that it can be characterized as a typical anabolic steroid, and that adverse effects typical for the class must be assumed.

Participants / model
In vivo model whose species the abstract does not state; endpoints are prostate, seminal vesicle, levator ani and liver weight
Treatment
1-Testosterone versus testosterone propionate, equimolar
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Preclinical pharmacology study (receptor assays and organ-weight endpoints)
Funding
not stated in the source

The abstract does not name the species, and the endpoints are the standard organ-weight endpoints of rodent androgen assays. The potency result is therefore reported without a species.

Read the original source
PubChem: 1-testosterone identity

Chemical identity record

PubChem, National Library of Medicine. Compound summary for CID 236666, 1-testosterone.

The compound sold as dihydroboldenone is 1-testosterone: PubChem CID 236666, C19H28O2, molecular weight 288.4, CAS 65-06-5, chemically 17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one. PubChem synonyms for this CID include 1-testosterone, Delta1-dihydrotestosterone, Delta(1)-dihydrotestosterone, 1-Testo and 1-Androstene-17-ol-3-one. The 5-alpha-reduced relationship to boldenone is what the vendor name encodes.

Participants / model
Chemical identity, not a clinical population
Treatment
Defined molecule
Follow-up
Not applicable
Study design
Chemical database record
Funding
not stated in the source

Identity record only. It says nothing about activity or safety in people.

Read the original source
PubMed: 6 records, no human efficacy or injection report

PubMed search record

PubMed search for 17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one, run 9 October 2026. Further searches and a ClinicalTrials.gov query for dihydroboldenone were run the same day.

A PubMed search on the exact chemical name returned 6 records: the potency study, the equine metabolism study, the prohormone volunteer study, a pig steroid metabolism review, an isotope ratio mass spectrometry method paper and a synthesis paper. A free-text search on 1-testosterone is unusable because PubMed matches it to 1% testosterone gel papers. A search for 1-testosterone or dihydroboldenone with injection site, abscess, myositis or intramuscular returned 9 records, all of them testosterone gel and testosterone therapy papers with no bearing on this molecule. A ClinicalTrials.gov query for dihydroboldenone returned no studies. There is no controlled human efficacy trial, no human pharmacokinetic study, no injectable human formulation, and no published case report or series describing injection site pain, abscess or any other tolerability problem with this compound.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Searches run on 9 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 9 October 2026. Injection and tolerability reports in supplier text are user reports, and the absence of a published record is not proof that such problems do not occur.

Read the original source

How does 1-testosterone act on the androgen receptor?

1-Testosterone binds the androgen receptor highly selectively and potently stimulates AR-dependent transactivation. A 5-alpha-reduced A ring is consistent with a non-aromatizing compound, but no aromatization assay for this molecule was located.

In the pharmacology paper, 1-testosterone bound the androgen receptor highly selectively and potently stimulated AR-dependent transactivation. At an equimolar dose it matched testosterone propionate in prostate, seminal vesicle and levator ani growth and, unlike testosterone propionate, raised liver weight.

The 5-alpha-reduced A ring is consistent with a compound that does not aromatize. That is an expectation from the chemical structure, not a measured result, and no human half-life or other pharmacokinetic value has been published. In one volunteer, 1-testosterone appeared in urine after an oral 1-androstene prohormone capsule.

Only pharmacology paper: potency matched testosterone propionate

Animal study

Friedel A et al. Toxicol Lett. 2006;165(2):149-55. PMID 16621347.

1-Testosterone binds the androgen receptor highly selectively and potently stimulates AR-dependent transactivation. In vivo, an equimolar dose had the same potency as testosterone propionate at stimulating growth of the prostate, the seminal vesicles and the androgen-sensitive levator ani muscle. Unlike testosterone propionate, 1-testosterone administration significantly increased liver weight. The authors conclude it is a very potent androgen with high androgenic and anabolic potency, that it can be characterized as a typical anabolic steroid, and that adverse effects typical for the class must be assumed.

Participants / model
In vivo model whose species the abstract does not state; endpoints are prostate, seminal vesicle, levator ani and liver weight
Treatment
1-Testosterone versus testosterone propionate, equimolar
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Preclinical pharmacology study (receptor assays and organ-weight endpoints)
Funding
not stated in the source

The abstract does not name the species, and the endpoints are the standard organ-weight endpoints of rodent androgen assays. The potency result is therefore reported without a species.

Read the original source
One volunteer, one capsule: 1-testosterone among urinary metabolites

Human study

Parr MK et al. Steroids. 2011;76(6):540-7. PMID 21310167.

A seized product branded 1-Androsterone, labeled to contain 1-androstene-3b-ol,17-one, was confirmed to contain 3beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-17-one as labeled. After a single capsule was given orally to one male volunteer, 1-testosterone (17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one) was among the main urinary metabolites detected, alongside 1-androstenedione and three androstene diols. The volunteer's urinary steroid profile was altered, including the androsterone to etiocholanolone ratio, the 5alpha to 5beta androstanediol ratio and 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone concentration. One characteristic metabolite remained detectable up to 9 days after a single capsule.

Participants / model
One male volunteer
Treatment
Single oral capsule of a seized prohormone product
Follow-up
Urinary detection followed up to 9 days
Study design
Analytical metabolite identification study
Funding
not stated in the source

Shows 1-testosterone forms in a person from an oral prohormone. It reports no efficacy, hormone-suppression or safety outcome.

Read the original source
PubMed: 6 records, no human efficacy or injection report

PubMed search record

PubMed search for 17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one, run 9 October 2026. Further searches and a ClinicalTrials.gov query for dihydroboldenone were run the same day.

A PubMed search on the exact chemical name returned 6 records: the potency study, the equine metabolism study, the prohormone volunteer study, a pig steroid metabolism review, an isotope ratio mass spectrometry method paper and a synthesis paper. A free-text search on 1-testosterone is unusable because PubMed matches it to 1% testosterone gel papers. A search for 1-testosterone or dihydroboldenone with injection site, abscess, myositis or intramuscular returned 9 records, all of them testosterone gel and testosterone therapy papers with no bearing on this molecule. A ClinicalTrials.gov query for dihydroboldenone returned no studies. There is no controlled human efficacy trial, no human pharmacokinetic study, no injectable human formulation, and no published case report or series describing injection site pain, abscess or any other tolerability problem with this compound.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Searches run on 9 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 9 October 2026. Injection and tolerability reports in supplier text are user reports, and the absence of a published record is not proof that such problems do not occur.

Read the original source

What is known about the safety of 1-testosterone?

No human safety data exist. In the only pharmacology paper 1-testosterone raised liver weight where testosterone propionate did not, and the authors conclude that adverse effects typical of anabolic steroids must be assumed. Injection and tolerability problems in supplier text have no published record.

The only measured safety signal is in the pharmacology paper, where 1-testosterone administration significantly increased liver weight and testosterone propionate did not. The authors conclude it can be characterized as a typical anabolic steroid, so adverse effects typical for the class must be assumed. The abstract does not name the species.

No human pharmacokinetic study, human efficacy trial or injectable human formulation exists in the records searched, and there is no approved formulation in any species. Boldenone, by contrast, has a US veterinary formulation and label. 1-Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance in the United States.

Supplier text describes tolerability and injection problems. No published case report or series describes injection site pain, abscess or any other tolerability problem with this compound, which means the reports are undocumented, not disproved.

Only pharmacology paper: potency matched testosterone propionate

Animal study

Friedel A et al. Toxicol Lett. 2006;165(2):149-55. PMID 16621347.

1-Testosterone binds the androgen receptor highly selectively and potently stimulates AR-dependent transactivation. In vivo, an equimolar dose had the same potency as testosterone propionate at stimulating growth of the prostate, the seminal vesicles and the androgen-sensitive levator ani muscle. Unlike testosterone propionate, 1-testosterone administration significantly increased liver weight. The authors conclude it is a very potent androgen with high androgenic and anabolic potency, that it can be characterized as a typical anabolic steroid, and that adverse effects typical for the class must be assumed.

Participants / model
In vivo model whose species the abstract does not state; endpoints are prostate, seminal vesicle, levator ani and liver weight
Treatment
1-Testosterone versus testosterone propionate, equimolar
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Preclinical pharmacology study (receptor assays and organ-weight endpoints)
Funding
not stated in the source

The abstract does not name the species, and the endpoints are the standard organ-weight endpoints of rodent androgen assays. The potency result is therefore reported without a species.

Read the original source
PubMed: 6 records, no human efficacy or injection report

PubMed search record

PubMed search for 17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one, run 9 October 2026. Further searches and a ClinicalTrials.gov query for dihydroboldenone were run the same day.

A PubMed search on the exact chemical name returned 6 records: the potency study, the equine metabolism study, the prohormone volunteer study, a pig steroid metabolism review, an isotope ratio mass spectrometry method paper and a synthesis paper. A free-text search on 1-testosterone is unusable because PubMed matches it to 1% testosterone gel papers. A search for 1-testosterone or dihydroboldenone with injection site, abscess, myositis or intramuscular returned 9 records, all of them testosterone gel and testosterone therapy papers with no bearing on this molecule. A ClinicalTrials.gov query for dihydroboldenone returned no studies. There is no controlled human efficacy trial, no human pharmacokinetic study, no injectable human formulation, and no published case report or series describing injection site pain, abscess or any other tolerability problem with this compound.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Searches run on 9 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 9 October 2026. Injection and tolerability reports in supplier text are user reports, and the absence of a published record is not proof that such problems do not occur.

Read the original source
WADA S1.1; boldenone approved only in horses

Regulatory record

World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List, in effect 1 January 2026. Boldenone veterinary approval from 21 CFR 522.204.

The WADA 2026 Prohibited List names 1-Testosterone (17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one) under S1.1, anabolic androgenic steroids, prohibited at all times as a non-specified substance, and lists Boldenone separately in the same section. Boldenone does have a US approval, but only in animals: 21 CFR 522.204 approves boldenone undecylenate injection for horses, as an aid in treating debilitated horses, by prescription only and not for horses intended for human consumption. 1-Testosterone has no approval in any species.

Participants / model
Anti-doping and veterinary regulatory records, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
List in effect 1 January 2026
Study design
Official anti-doping record and codified federal regulation
Funding
not stated in the source

Shows the approval boundary between the two molecules. Veterinary label strengths are not reproduced.

Read the original source
Schedule III (f)(24); no human approval

Regulatory record

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, section 1308.13, Schedule III. openFDA Drugs@FDA substance-name query and DailyMed search run 9 October 2026.

21 CFR 1308.13(f)(24) lists Delta1-dihydrotestosterone (also called 1-testosterone) (17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one) among anabolic steroids in Schedule III, DEA code 4000, covering salts, esters and ethers. Boldenone is listed separately at (f)(11) and the 17-alpha-methylated analog at (f)(60). There is no human approval: an openFDA Drugs@FDA substance-name query for 1-TESTOSTERONE returned no matches on 9 October 2026, and a DailyMed search for the same term returns only testosterone 1% gel products, which are a name-matching artifact and a different drug.

Participants / model
Regulatory records, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Current eCFR; queries run 9 October 2026
Study design
Codified federal regulation and official FDA queries
Funding
not stated in the source

Legal status outside the United States is not covered.

Read the original source

Why does dihydroboldenone sit in F tier?

The only pharmacology paper contradicts the mild framing and records a liver weight increase. The compound is an unapproved Schedule III substance with no human pharmacokinetic data, and the injection problems in supplier text have no published record.

The mild-on-paper premise is false on the paper that exists. In the only pharmacology study of the molecule, 1-testosterone matched testosterone propionate at an equimolar dose in prostate and seminal vesicle growth, so it is not tissue-sparing, and it increased liver weight where testosterone propionate did not. The authors' own conclusion is that adverse effects typical of anabolic steroids must be assumed. The abstract does not name the species.

The product is an unapproved Schedule III substance with no human pharmacokinetic data and no approved formulation in any species. The injection problems in supplier text are undocumented, but the documented liver weight signal and the absent tissue selectivity are enough on their own to support F.

Only pharmacology paper: potency matched testosterone propionate

Animal study

Friedel A et al. Toxicol Lett. 2006;165(2):149-55. PMID 16621347.

1-Testosterone binds the androgen receptor highly selectively and potently stimulates AR-dependent transactivation. In vivo, an equimolar dose had the same potency as testosterone propionate at stimulating growth of the prostate, the seminal vesicles and the androgen-sensitive levator ani muscle. Unlike testosterone propionate, 1-testosterone administration significantly increased liver weight. The authors conclude it is a very potent androgen with high androgenic and anabolic potency, that it can be characterized as a typical anabolic steroid, and that adverse effects typical for the class must be assumed.

Participants / model
In vivo model whose species the abstract does not state; endpoints are prostate, seminal vesicle, levator ani and liver weight
Treatment
1-Testosterone versus testosterone propionate, equimolar
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Preclinical pharmacology study (receptor assays and organ-weight endpoints)
Funding
not stated in the source

The abstract does not name the species, and the endpoints are the standard organ-weight endpoints of rodent androgen assays. The potency result is therefore reported without a species.

Read the original source
Schedule III (f)(24); no human approval

Regulatory record

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, section 1308.13, Schedule III. openFDA Drugs@FDA substance-name query and DailyMed search run 9 October 2026.

21 CFR 1308.13(f)(24) lists Delta1-dihydrotestosterone (also called 1-testosterone) (17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one) among anabolic steroids in Schedule III, DEA code 4000, covering salts, esters and ethers. Boldenone is listed separately at (f)(11) and the 17-alpha-methylated analog at (f)(60). There is no human approval: an openFDA Drugs@FDA substance-name query for 1-TESTOSTERONE returned no matches on 9 October 2026, and a DailyMed search for the same term returns only testosterone 1% gel products, which are a name-matching artifact and a different drug.

Participants / model
Regulatory records, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Current eCFR; queries run 9 October 2026
Study design
Codified federal regulation and official FDA queries
Funding
not stated in the source

Legal status outside the United States is not covered.

Read the original source
WADA S1.1; boldenone approved only in horses

Regulatory record

World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List, in effect 1 January 2026. Boldenone veterinary approval from 21 CFR 522.204.

The WADA 2026 Prohibited List names 1-Testosterone (17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one) under S1.1, anabolic androgenic steroids, prohibited at all times as a non-specified substance, and lists Boldenone separately in the same section. Boldenone does have a US approval, but only in animals: 21 CFR 522.204 approves boldenone undecylenate injection for horses, as an aid in treating debilitated horses, by prescription only and not for horses intended for human consumption. 1-Testosterone has no approval in any species.

Participants / model
Anti-doping and veterinary regulatory records, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
List in effect 1 January 2026
Study design
Official anti-doping record and codified federal regulation
Funding
not stated in the source

Shows the approval boundary between the two molecules. Veterinary label strengths are not reproduced.

Read the original source
PubMed: 6 records, no human efficacy or injection report

PubMed search record

PubMed search for 17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one, run 9 October 2026. Further searches and a ClinicalTrials.gov query for dihydroboldenone were run the same day.

A PubMed search on the exact chemical name returned 6 records: the potency study, the equine metabolism study, the prohormone volunteer study, a pig steroid metabolism review, an isotope ratio mass spectrometry method paper and a synthesis paper. A free-text search on 1-testosterone is unusable because PubMed matches it to 1% testosterone gel papers. A search for 1-testosterone or dihydroboldenone with injection site, abscess, myositis or intramuscular returned 9 records, all of them testosterone gel and testosterone therapy papers with no bearing on this molecule. A ClinicalTrials.gov query for dihydroboldenone returned no studies. There is no controlled human efficacy trial, no human pharmacokinetic study, no injectable human formulation, and no published case report or series describing injection site pain, abscess or any other tolerability problem with this compound.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Searches run on 9 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 9 October 2026. Injection and tolerability reports in supplier text are user reports, and the absence of a published record is not proof that such problems do not occur.

Read the original source

Studies and sources

PubChem: 1-testosterone identity

Chemical identity record

PubChem, National Library of Medicine. Compound summary for CID 236666, 1-testosterone.

The compound sold as dihydroboldenone is 1-testosterone: PubChem CID 236666, C19H28O2, molecular weight 288.4, CAS 65-06-5, chemically 17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one. PubChem synonyms for this CID include 1-testosterone, Delta1-dihydrotestosterone, Delta(1)-dihydrotestosterone, 1-Testo and 1-Androstene-17-ol-3-one. The 5-alpha-reduced relationship to boldenone is what the vendor name encodes.

Participants / model
Chemical identity, not a clinical population
Treatment
Defined molecule
Follow-up
Not applicable
Study design
Chemical database record
Funding
not stated in the source

Identity record only. It says nothing about activity or safety in people.

Read the original source
PubChem: boldenone, a different molecule

Chemical identity record

PubChem, National Library of Medicine. Compound summary for CID 13308, boldenone.

Boldenone is a different molecule: PubChem CID 13308, C19H26O2, molecular weight 286.4, CAS 846-48-0, 17beta-hydroxyandrosta-1,4-dien-3-one, also called 1,2-dehydrotestosterone. Boldenone has two ring double bonds (a 1,4-diene), while 1-testosterone has one, at the 1-position on a 5-alpha-reduced A ring. They differ by two hydrogens and are listed as separate entries in the DEA schedules.

Participants / model
Chemical identity, not a clinical population
Treatment
Defined molecule
Follow-up
Not applicable
Study design
Chemical database record
Funding
not stated in the source

A page that treats dihydroboldenone as boldenone without the ester, or as a boldenone metabolite product, describes the wrong compound.

Read the original source
PubChem: 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, the usual meaning of DHB in chemistry

Chemical identity record

PubChem, National Library of Medicine. Compound summary for CID 3469, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid. Name searches for dihydroboldenone run 9 October 2026 in PubMed and PubChem.

The abbreviation DHB in chemistry most commonly means 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, PubChem CID 3469, C7H6O4, molecular weight 154.12, a standard MALDI matrix compound and an entirely unrelated substance. A search for DHB in a literature database returns that compound, not 1-testosterone. The name dihydroboldenone is nearly absent from the scientific record: a PubMed search on 9 October 2026 returned 1 record, an analytical chemistry paper, and a PubChem name lookup for dihydroboldenone does not resolve at all. The scientific name is 1-testosterone.

Participants / model
Chemical identity and nomenclature, not a clinical population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Name searches run on 9 October 2026
Study design
Chemical database record and dated name search
Funding
not stated in the source

Identity and abbreviation collision. This compound is unrelated to 1-testosterone.

Read the original source
Only pharmacology paper: potency matched testosterone propionate

Animal study

Friedel A et al. Toxicol Lett. 2006;165(2):149-55. PMID 16621347.

1-Testosterone binds the androgen receptor highly selectively and potently stimulates AR-dependent transactivation. In vivo, an equimolar dose had the same potency as testosterone propionate at stimulating growth of the prostate, the seminal vesicles and the androgen-sensitive levator ani muscle. Unlike testosterone propionate, 1-testosterone administration significantly increased liver weight. The authors conclude it is a very potent androgen with high androgenic and anabolic potency, that it can be characterized as a typical anabolic steroid, and that adverse effects typical for the class must be assumed.

Participants / model
In vivo model whose species the abstract does not state; endpoints are prostate, seminal vesicle, levator ani and liver weight
Treatment
1-Testosterone versus testosterone propionate, equimolar
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Preclinical pharmacology study (receptor assays and organ-weight endpoints)
Funding
not stated in the source

The abstract does not name the species, and the endpoints are the standard organ-weight endpoints of rodent androgen assays. The potency result is therefore reported without a species.

Read the original source
Two horses: parent drug and 8 urinary metabolites

Animal study

Kwok WH et al. Drug Test Anal. 2013;5(2):81-8. PMID 22715048.

Two Thoroughbred geldings were each given 800 mg of 1-testosterone orally by stomach tube. Parent drug and eight urinary metabolites were identified, and parent drug was detectable up to 30 hours post-administration.

Participants / model
Two Thoroughbred geldings
Treatment
Oral 1-testosterone by stomach tube, 800 mg per horse
Follow-up
Detection followed to 30 hours post-administration
Study design
Metabolite identification and detection-window study for racing control
Funding
not stated in the source

Horse metabolism work. The dose was an experimental administration to identify metabolites and is not a use dose.

Read the original source
One volunteer, one capsule: 1-testosterone among urinary metabolites

Human study

Parr MK et al. Steroids. 2011;76(6):540-7. PMID 21310167.

A seized product branded 1-Androsterone, labeled to contain 1-androstene-3b-ol,17-one, was confirmed to contain 3beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-17-one as labeled. After a single capsule was given orally to one male volunteer, 1-testosterone (17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one) was among the main urinary metabolites detected, alongside 1-androstenedione and three androstene diols. The volunteer's urinary steroid profile was altered, including the androsterone to etiocholanolone ratio, the 5alpha to 5beta androstanediol ratio and 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone concentration. One characteristic metabolite remained detectable up to 9 days after a single capsule.

Participants / model
One male volunteer
Treatment
Single oral capsule of a seized prohormone product
Follow-up
Urinary detection followed up to 9 days
Study design
Analytical metabolite identification study
Funding
not stated in the source

Shows 1-testosterone forms in a person from an oral prohormone. It reports no efficacy, hormone-suppression or safety outcome.

Read the original source
Schedule III (f)(24); no human approval

Regulatory record

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, section 1308.13, Schedule III. openFDA Drugs@FDA substance-name query and DailyMed search run 9 October 2026.

21 CFR 1308.13(f)(24) lists Delta1-dihydrotestosterone (also called 1-testosterone) (17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one) among anabolic steroids in Schedule III, DEA code 4000, covering salts, esters and ethers. Boldenone is listed separately at (f)(11) and the 17-alpha-methylated analog at (f)(60). There is no human approval: an openFDA Drugs@FDA substance-name query for 1-TESTOSTERONE returned no matches on 9 October 2026, and a DailyMed search for the same term returns only testosterone 1% gel products, which are a name-matching artifact and a different drug.

Participants / model
Regulatory records, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Current eCFR; queries run 9 October 2026
Study design
Codified federal regulation and official FDA queries
Funding
not stated in the source

Legal status outside the United States is not covered.

Read the original source
WADA S1.1; boldenone approved only in horses

Regulatory record

World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List, in effect 1 January 2026. Boldenone veterinary approval from 21 CFR 522.204.

The WADA 2026 Prohibited List names 1-Testosterone (17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one) under S1.1, anabolic androgenic steroids, prohibited at all times as a non-specified substance, and lists Boldenone separately in the same section. Boldenone does have a US approval, but only in animals: 21 CFR 522.204 approves boldenone undecylenate injection for horses, as an aid in treating debilitated horses, by prescription only and not for horses intended for human consumption. 1-Testosterone has no approval in any species.

Participants / model
Anti-doping and veterinary regulatory records, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
List in effect 1 January 2026
Study design
Official anti-doping record and codified federal regulation
Funding
not stated in the source

Shows the approval boundary between the two molecules. Veterinary label strengths are not reproduced.

Read the original source
PubMed: 6 records, no human efficacy or injection report

PubMed search record

PubMed search for 17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one, run 9 October 2026. Further searches and a ClinicalTrials.gov query for dihydroboldenone were run the same day.

A PubMed search on the exact chemical name returned 6 records: the potency study, the equine metabolism study, the prohormone volunteer study, a pig steroid metabolism review, an isotope ratio mass spectrometry method paper and a synthesis paper. A free-text search on 1-testosterone is unusable because PubMed matches it to 1% testosterone gel papers. A search for 1-testosterone or dihydroboldenone with injection site, abscess, myositis or intramuscular returned 9 records, all of them testosterone gel and testosterone therapy papers with no bearing on this molecule. A ClinicalTrials.gov query for dihydroboldenone returned no studies. There is no controlled human efficacy trial, no human pharmacokinetic study, no injectable human formulation, and no published case report or series describing injection site pain, abscess or any other tolerability problem with this compound.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Searches run on 9 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 9 October 2026. Injection and tolerability reports in supplier text are user reports, and the absence of a published record is not proof that such problems do not occur.

Read the original source

Why is Dihydroboldenone (1-testosterone) in F tier?

F fits a compound whose only pharmacology paper contradicts the mild framing: an equimolar dose matched testosterone propionate in prostate and seminal vesicle growth and increased liver weight (species not named in the abstract), and the authors conclude adverse effects typical of anabolic steroids must be assumed. There is no human efficacy, pharmacokinetic or approval record for this Schedule III compound, and the injection problems in supplier text have no published record.