Mass spectrometric detection of and similarities between 1-androgens

Regularly new anabolic steroids appear on the black market. In most cases these substances are marketed on websites or are confiscated during inspections. 1,(5α)-Androstene-17β-ol-3-one, also known as 1-testosterone, is one of these substances presented to body-builders as a nutritional supplement or a pro-hormone. 1-Testosterone closely resembles the natural hormone testosterone except for a 1,2-double bound instead of a 4,5-double bound. 1-Androstene-3β,17β-diol is transformed into 1-testosterone after oral administration.1-Testosterone, 1-androstene-3β,17β-diol and some other related ‘new’ anabolic steroids were studied with gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS2) methods. Similarities in spectra to known analytes, which may lead to pitfalls in the interpretation of the derivatised analytes, are discussed.