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Testosterone Phenylpropionate
Chemical Name: Testosterone Phenylpropionate
Drug Class: Injectable Anabolic Steroid
This version of Testosterone was first popularized under the name “Testolent” and was produced by the Sicomed
Pharmaceutical house. For awhile, is was a rare find on the black market, but the recent availability of various powders
and the emergence of all the various underground labs, have made this version of testosterone more readily available. It’s
simply Testosterone with the Phenylpropionate ester attached, which we usually see more commonly attached to the Nandrolone
base compound, giving us Durabolin (often called NPP, which is short for Nandrolone Phenylpropionate). I guess this would be
called “TPP” for short…
This particular ester gives us an active life of 4-5 days, falling just between the Propionate (short) and Cypionate (long) versions
of Testosterone. I recently had the opportunity to try this compound, and actually like it quite a bit- it’s perfect for someone
like me who likes short esters like propionate, but is too forgetful to inject every other day! Clearly, you’d get best results
shooting this compound every third or fourth day, or roughly twice a week. Other than the unique ester, there’s nothing much to
say about TPP that isn’t applicable to any other form of testosterone.
Personally, I’ve experienced less water retention with TPP when compared with testosterone Cypionate, or Enanthate, and really
no more than I’ve experienced with Testosterone Propionate.
Testosterone exerts its effects by promoting increased nitrogen retention in the muscle (1). Testosterone also increases levels of
the growth factor IGF-1 in both the muscle tissue and the liver.(2) Testosterone, regardless of the ester, also has the ability to
increase the activity of satellite cells,(3) which play an active role in repairing damaged muscle. Testosterone exerts these effects
primarily by genomic mechanisms, meaning that it binds to the androgen receptor (AR) and initiates gene transcription to deliver its
message. Stimulation of the AR promotes various of the AR dependant mechanisms for both muscle gain and fat loss (4), as well as
reducing catabolic glucocorticoid hormones (4), and increasing red blood cell production (5).
Testosterone, once in the body, can be converted to both estrogen (through a process known as aromatization) as well as
Dihydrotestosterone (through a process known as 5alpha-reduction). Estrogen is typically the catalyst for many side effects such
as gynocomastia, water retention, etc...while DHT is often behind hair loss and prostate enlargement.
Due to its recent reemergence on the black market, and high availability, the cost of TPP is currently low, and I predict it will
become very popular in coming years.
References:
1. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997 Feb;82(2):407-13.
2. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2002 Mar;282(3):E601-7.
3. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2004 May;7(3):271-7.
4. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2002 Mar;282(3):E601-7.
5. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2004 May;7(3):271-7.
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