Combined chemical and biotechnological production of 20βOH-NorDHCMT, a long-term metabolite of Oral-Turinabol (DHCMT)

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are misused very frequently in sport competitions as performance enhancing agents. One of the doping compounds that has been detected with increased frequency in the last few years is dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (DHCMT, 4-chloro-17β-hydroxy-17α-methylandrosta-1,4-dien-3-one; brand name Oral Turinabol). The long-term DHCMT metabolite 20βOH-NorDHCMT (4-chloro-17β-hydroxymethyl-17α-methyl-18-norandrosta-1,4,13-trien-3-one) was reported earlier to be detectable in urine samples for more than 22 days after DHCMT administration; however, purified reference material was not available so far. In this study we demonstrate a successful combination of Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement of DHCMT to NorDHCMT (4-chloro-17,17-dimethyl-18-norandrosta-1,4,13-trien-3-one) and subsequent whole-cell biotransformation with a recombinant fission yeast strain expressing the human cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP or P450) CYP21A2 for the synthesis of mg amounts of this metabolite. It was then used as reference for the analysis of a post administration urine of DHCMT. The availability of this reference compound will provide an incontestable proof for DHCMT abuse.