Abstract
The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of chronic administration of nandrolone-decanoate (ND) or testosterone-enanthate (TE) in supraphysiological doses and a prolonged swimming protocol, alone and in combination with ND or TE, on anxiety-like behavior in rats. We investigated the immunohistochemical alterations of the hippocampal neuropeptide Y (NPY) and melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) neurons, as a possible underlying mechanism in a modulation of anxiety-like behavior in rats. Both applied anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs) induced anxiogenic effect accompanied with decreased serum and hippocampal NPY. The exercise-induced anxiolytic effect was associated with increased hippocampal NPY expression. ND and TE increased the number of MC4R, while the swimming protocol was followed by the reduction of MC4R in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. However, NPY/MC4R ratio in hippocampus was lowered by AASs and elevated by exercise in all hippocampal regions. An augmentation of this ratio strongly and positively correlated to increased time in open arms of elevated plus maze, in the context that indicates anxiolytic effect. Our findings support the conclusion that alterations in both hippocampal NPY and MC4R expression are involved in anxiety level changes in rats, while their quantitative relationship (NPY/MC4R ratio) is even more valuable in the estimation of anxiety regulation than individual alterations for both NPY and MC4R expression in the hippocampus.
Highlights
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs) exert beneficial effects in therapeutically applied doses, this has been overshadowed by their abuse (Pope and Brower, 2004), with very serious behavioral consequences (Oberlander and Henderson, 2012)
The results obtained in this study demonstrated that serum levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY) were significantly reduced by prolonged administration of supraphysiological doses of both applied anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs)
Since there is no literature data describing the influence of TE supplementation on serum NPY levels, this result could only be interpreted as a similar effect produced by ND administration
Summary
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs) exert beneficial effects in therapeutically applied doses, this has been overshadowed by their abuse (Pope and Brower, 2004), with very serious behavioral consequences (Oberlander and Henderson, 2012). Hippocampal NPY-MC4R in Anxiety Regulation of AASs affect the neuroendocrine system exerting mood alterations. AASs abusers often perform exercise protocols in order to maintain lean body mass and muscular appearance (Davis and Scott-Robertson, 2000). In a manner of programmed aerobic physical exercise, showed beneficial effects on physical and mental health (Hillman et al, 2008). The alterations in hypothalamo-pituitary (HPA) axis, that are confirmed to have a significant role in mood regulation, have been reported following AASs and exercise (Anderson and Shivakumar, 2013). The impact of those protocols on HPA axis markers in various tissues still remains inconsistent
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