Abstract
Supraphysiological administration of anabolic androgenic steroids has been linked to increased blood pressure. The widely distributed amino acid taurine seems to be an effective depressor agent in drug-induced hypertension. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of chronic high dose administration of nandrolone decanoate (DECA) and taurine on blood pressure in rats and to verify the potentially involved mechanisms. The study was conducted in 4 groups of 8 adult male Wistar rats, aged 14 weeks, treated for 12 weeks with: DECA (A group); vehicle (C group); taurine (T group), or with both drugs (AT group). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured at the beginning of the study (SBP1), 2 (SBP2) and 3 months (SBP3) later. Plasma angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity and plasma end products of nitric oxide metabolism (NOx) were also determined. SBP3 and SBP2 were significantly increased compared to SBP1 only in the A group (P<0.002 for both). SBP2, SBP3 and ACE activity showed a statistically significant increase in the A vs C (P<0.005), andvs AT groups (P<0.05), while NOx was significantly decreased in the A and AT groups vs controls (P=0.01). ACE activity was strongly correlated with SBP3 in the A group (r=0.71, P=0.04). These findings suggest that oral supplementation of taurine may prevent the increase in SBP induced by DECA, an effect potentially mediated by angiotensin-converting enzyme.
Highlights
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic cholesterol derivatives of testosterone, designed for clinical applications in conditions such as hypogonadism, breast cancer, anemia, and various chronic catabolic states [1]
The present study brings complementary data regarding the action of DECA and taurine on blood pressure, a field of interest still dominated by controversial data
Suprapharmacological DECA administration induced a pressor response in rats, which was prevented by concomitant taurine administration
Summary
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic cholesterol derivatives of testosterone, designed for clinical applications in conditions such as hypogonadism, breast cancer, anemia, and various chronic catabolic states [1]. Due to their anabolic effects, they are currently being used in high doses among athletes to enhance performance or in the bodybuilding community for cosmetic reasons. There is a considerable amount of evidence depicting the whole spectrum of detrimental effects of androgen abuse, data describing their association with elevated blood pressure or with the development of hypertension are still ambiguous and inconclusive [3,4]. Our study was designed to generate more data concerning the influence of supraphysiological administration of AAS on blood pressure in rats, and to underline possible mechanisms that may be involved
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