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High-dose testosterone enanthate supplementation boosts oxidative stress, but exerts little effect on the antioxidant barrier in sedentary adolescent male rat liver

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Abstract

Background

Anabolic-androgenic steroids abuse is on the rise among adolescent boys and young men, mostly in those seeking a ‘shortcut’ to an improved body image. This approach is associated with the risk of severe adverse health effects, some of which involve the liver and are linked to hepatic oxidative stress. Testosterone and its esters is a cornerstone of most anabolic-androgenic steroid stacking protocols.

Methods

We assessed and compared several hepatotoxicity and liver oxidative stress indices, as well as the contents of some components of the hepatic antioxidant barrier between sedentary adolescent male rats given a 6-week course of weekly im testosterone enanthate (TE, 8 or 80 mg/kgBW /week) or vehicle (sesame oil) injections. Blood and livers for the assessments were harvested seven days after the last injection.

Results

TE supplementation dose-dependently elevated blood testosterone and significantly increased the liver content of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. Only the high-dose TE supplementation significantly slowed down body weight gain, reduced the liver weight/body weight ratio, increased liver heat shock protein 70/72 content and elevated blood enzyme markers of liver stress. There was no significant difference in reduced glutathione and α- or γ-tocopherol content between the TE-treated and control rats. Of the antioxidant enzymes studied (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase), only the dismutase activity was significantly while moderately elevated and only by the high-dose TE supplementation.

Conclusion

(Sub)chronic supplementation of sedentary adolescent male rats with high TE doses does not exert a lasting major effect on the liver antioxidant barrier and redox homeostasis.

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Abbreviations

AAS:

anabolic-androgenic steroids

ALP:

alkaline phosphatase

ALT:

alanine aminotransferase

ANOVA:

analysis of variance

AST:

aspartate aminotransferase

BW:

body weight

CAT:

catalase

CTRL:

controls

GGT:

γ-glutamyltransferase

GPx:

glutathione peroxidase

GR:

glutathione reductase

GSH:

reduced glutathione

Hsp70/72:

70/72 kDa heat shock protein

LW:

liver weight

MDA:

malondialdehyde

R S :

Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient

SOD:

superoxide dismutase

TBARS:

thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances

Tc:

core body temperature

TE:

testosterone enanthate

TT:

total testosterone

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiological and Medical Sciences, The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland

    Ewa Sadowska-Krępa, Barbara Kłapcińska, Sławomir Jagsz & Anna Nowara

  2. Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, School of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland

    Izabela Szołtysek-Bołdys

  3. Department of Cellular Signalling, Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa, Poland

    Małgorzata Chalimoniuk

  4. Department of Experimental Pharmacology, Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa, Poland

    Józef Langfort & Stanisław J. Chrapusta

  5. Department of Sports Training, The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland

    Józef Langfort

Authors
  1. Ewa Sadowska-Krępa
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  2. Barbara Kłapcińska
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  8. Stanisław J. Chrapusta
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Correspondence to Barbara Kłapcińska.

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Sadowska-Krępa, E., Kłapcińska, B., Jagsz, S. et al. High-dose testosterone enanthate supplementation boosts oxidative stress, but exerts little effect on the antioxidant barrier in sedentary adolescent male rat liver. Pharmacol. Rep 69, 673–678 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharep.2017.02.023

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharep.2017.02.023

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