Routes of
administration Oral PubChem CID 2999413 ECHA InfoCard 100.043.411 Pubchem 2999413 ChemSpider ID 2271133 | CAS Number 26538-44-3 UNII 76LO2L2V39 Route Oral administration ChEMBL ID 371463 | |
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Synonyms α-Zearalanol; Zearalanol; MK-188; P-1496 | ||
Zeranol (INN, USAN, BAN) (brand names Frideron, Ralabol, Ralgro, Ralone, Zerano; developmental code names MK-188, P-1496), or zearanol, also known as α-zearalanol or simply zearalanol, is a synthetic non-steroidal estrogen of the resorcylic acid lactone group related to mycoestrogens found in fungi in the Fusarium genus and is used mainly as an anabolic agent in veterinary medicine.
Zeranol is approved for use as a growth promoter in livestock, including beef cattle, under the brand name Ralgro (by Merck Animal Health) in the United States. In Canada, it is approved for use in beef cattle only. Its application is not approved for use in the European Union. However, it is marketed under the brand name Ralone in Spain.
Although zeranol may increase cancer cell proliferation in already existing breast cancer, dietary exposure from the use of zeranol-containing implants in cattle is insignificant. Zeranol may be found as a contaminant in fungus-infected crops. It is 3 to 4 times more potent as an estrogen than the related compound zearalenone.