What Are SARMs & Other SARM Questions Answered
What Are SARMs & Other SARM Questions Answered
SARM stands for Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, and essentially, they are a generation of compounds that began to be developed in the 1990s. The compounds were designed to activate cells that would normally respond to testosterone, but targeted to only certain cell types (such as muscle and bone) rather than the whole body, as is the case with testosterone produced by the body.
What is an Androgen Receptor?
The Androgen Receptor (AR) is a type of nuclear receptor that is activated by binding any of the androgenic hormones, including testosterone and dihydro-testosterone. Here’s some key information about the Androgen Receptor listed below:
- Standard Name: Androgen Receptor
- Alternate Names: KD, AIS, TFM, DHTR, etc.
- Location: It is located on the X chromosome (Xq12) in humans.
- Reference Sequence Length: The reference sequence length is 180246 base pairs.
- Protein Names: The protein names include androgen receptor isoform 1, androgen receptor isoform 2, androgen receptor isoform X1, and androgen receptor isoform X2.
- Protein Molecular Weight: The protein molecular weight is 99.06 kilodaltons.
- Gene Ontology Characteristics:
- Functions: Androgen binding, receptor binding, zinc ion binding, metal ion binding, receptor activity, androgen receptor activity, protein dimerization activity, sequence-specific DNA binding, etc.
- Locations: Axon, nucleus, dendrite, cytoplasm.
- Processes: Transport, cell death, cell growth, cell proliferation, cell-cell signaling, signal transduction, male gonad development, male sex differentiation, etc.
The androgen receptor plays a crucial role in the development and function of male characteristics and organs. It is also involved in hair growth, muscle development, and other male-specific functions. Mutations in the androgen receptor gene can lead to a variety of conditions, including androgen insensitivity syndrome.
Are Androgen Receptors Steroids?
No, androgen receptors are not steroids. Instead, they are proteins that respond to androgens, which are a class of steroid hormones.
Here’s a brief overview:
- Steroids: These are a class of lipids characterized by a carbon skeleton with four fused rings. Steroid hormones are steroids that act as hormones in the body. Examples include testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, and cortisol.
- Androgens: This is a subgroup of steroid hormones that promotes the development and maintenance of male sex characteristics. Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and the most well-known androgen.
- Androgen Receptors (AR): These are proteins located inside cells, specifically in the cytoplasm. When androgens, like testosterone, enter a cell, they bind to androgen receptors. This binding activates the receptor, allowing it to move into the cell’s nucleus where it can influence the transcription of specific genes. This gene regulation is responsible for many of the physiological effects of androgens.
Can Androgen Receptor Cause Prostate Cancer?
No, not directly. The androgen receptor (AR) plays a central role in the normal growth and development of the prostate gland. However, it is also involved in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer. While the androgen receptor itself doesn’t “cause” prostate cancer in a direct sense, the interplay between androgens (like testosterone) and the androgen receptor can promote the growth of prostate cancer cells.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
- Normal Prostate Growth: Androgens, primarily testosterone and its metabolite dihydrotestosterone (DHT), bind to the androgen receptor in prostate cells, promoting their growth and division. This is essential for the normal development and function of the prostate.
- Prostate Cancer Initiation and Progression: The transformation from normal cells to cancerous cells is multifactorial, involving genetic mutations, environmental factors, and other variables. Once these cells become cancerous, many prostate cancers still rely on androgens and the AR for growth, especially in the early stages of the disease. This is why therapies that reduce androgen levels or block their effects are often used to treat prostate cancer.
- Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC): Over time, some prostate cancers can evolve to grow even when androgen levels are shallow or when AR signalling is inhibited. This stage of the disease is termed “castration-resistant” because it progresses despite treatments that lower androgen levels or block AR signaling. Intriguingly, even in this stage, the androgen receptor can still play a role, as some tumours find ways to activate AR signalling despite low androgen levels or in the presence of AR blockers.
- Genetic Considerations: Mutations or amplifications in the AR gene can change the behaviour of the androgen receptor. Some mutations might make the receptor more sensitive to lower androgen levels or allow it to be activated by other molecules, contributing to prostate cancer progression and resistance to treatment.
In summary, while the androgen receptor itself is not a direct “cause” of prostate cancer, it plays a crucial role in the development, progression, and treatment response of the disease. The relationship between androgens, AR, and prostate cancer is complex and is a major focus of research in the field of oncology.
What is the difference between SARMs and Testosterone?
SARMs were developed to specifically target ‘beneficial’ target cells, such as stimulating muscle and bone growth in research animals, and weight modulation while sparing less ideal target cells, such as the cells of the prostate.
Testosterone itself is an endogenous hormone secreted from the testes and adrenals in men and the ovaries and adrenals in women. It has systemic impacts on the body, meaning widespread throughout many organs including the nervous, skeletal, muscular, and reproductive systems, with impacts on metabolism as well, such as fat distribution, according to the National Institutes of Health. (https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/understanding-how-testosterone-affects-men)
Excessive testosterone can have deleterious effects on the body as the surplus can be converted to estradiol, affecting hormone balance, and high testosterone levels can contribute to low sperm counts, heart attacks, prostate enlargement, and other conditions (https://www.health.harvard.edu/drugs-and-medications/testosterone–what-it-does-and-doesnt-do)
SARMs vs. Steroids
Anabolic steroids are largely designed to mimic the subject’s natural testosterone, therefore they do not have the selective effect on targeted tissues and cells that a SARM has. Many of the problems of excess testosterone are also noted in anabolic steroid use, as well as cardiovascular issues like high blood pressure, strokes, ventricular dysfunction, heart attacks, and high cholesterol.
Steroid use has also been associated with liver disease, tendon injury, and skin issues like acne, increased oil production, and jaundice,
Steroids may be used orally, topically, or injected while SARMs are primarily taken orally. Our SARMs are for sale in either a powdered or liquid formulation for flexibility in your research needs.
Where to Buy SARMs?
Locating SARMs for sale is often a difficult proposition for independent research labs, as a rash of unscrupulous companies has flooded the internet claiming to sell SARMS. However, there are a few who produce an inferior product, that is either contaminated or is a complete fabrication. A 2016 survey of the purity of SARMS to buy online done by the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that more than half (59%) of the compounds were substantially different from their labeling. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29183075/)
Choosing where to buy SARMs in 2021 is still difficult, however, the best place to buy SARMs is from a supplier that is trusted and able to provide certificates of authenticity from a legitimate laboratory, able to perform mass spectrometry, and UV purity verification.
At Umbrella labs, we are a US-based company that uses third-party analytical chemists to provide only pure, non-degraded, Peptides and Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators SARMs for sale
We have implemented strict QA/QC protocols to ensure maximum purity of all our SARM and Peptide products. We employ industry-leading High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and Liquid/Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in our manufacturing pipeline, and routine analyses are conducted in a CLIA environment using a flexible range of Thermo Scientific and Agilent modalities.
Umbrella Labs SARM Guide
While our product list indicates that we sell either SARMs or peptides, actually our offerings vary from SARMs, peptides to plant-based steroids for sale.
For example, we have the following SARMS for sale:
RAD-140 (Testolone)
MK-2866 (Ostarine or Enbosarm)
LGD-4033 is also called Ligandrol.
OTR- AC (Ostarine ester)
S-4 (Andarine)
Our other compounds for sale include:
MK-677 is a ghrelin receptor agonist and Growth Hormone stimulator
SR9009 and SR9011 are Rev-Erb alpha agonists
GW0742 is a Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonist
GW501516 (Cardarine) is also a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonist.
5a Alpha Laxogenin is a plant-based steroidal compound
If you are deciding where to buy SARMS in 2021, it is essential to know the mechanism of action of the compounds that you are purchasing. Even among the SARMs themselves, their affinity for different ligands of the androgenic receptor will differ.
SARMs Research
All of our SARMs have a body of research, with only a fraction of available published studies noted in our product descriptions. A thorough literature search in your institution’s preferred database will yield the best information, we have included all alternative names of the compounds for your convenience.
Are SARMs safe for human consumption?
Our SARMs are sold for laboratory research use only. Not for human consumption, nor medical, veterinary, or household uses. Please familiarize yourself with our Terms & Conditions prior to ordering.
