Summary
Although anabolic steroids have been used for many years to treat osteoporosis there is little available evidence about their efficacy or mode of action. These agents have recently been shown to produce an increase in total body calcium and bone density and it has been suggested that they stimulate bone formation. In this study 27 osteoporotic postmenopausal women were given 50 mg of nandrolone decanoate intramuscularly, every 2 or 3 weeks for 3 months, and the changes in forearm mineral density, fasting plasma, and urinary calcium, urinary hydroxyproline, and radiocalcium absorption were measured. Associated with a rise in forearm mineral density was a significant fall in fasting urinary calcium, but no significant change in fasting urinary hydroxyproline. The plasma calcium and phosphate fell significantly and there was a significant rise in the renal tubular reabsorption of calcium and a fall in the renal tubular reabsorption of phosphate. In a subset of 22 patients there was a significant rise in radiocalcium absorption. The results are consistent with the concept that nandrolone exerts a significant positive effect on bone formation and that this results in a fall in the fasting plasma calcium level, and consequently calcium excretion.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Nordin BEC, Horsman A, Crilly RG, Marshall DH, Simpson M (1980) Treatment of spinal osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Br Med J 1:451–454
Need AG, Horowitz M, Philcox JC, Nordin BEC (1985) 1,25 dihydroxycalciferol and calcium therapy in osteoporosis with calcium malabsorption. Mineral Electrolyte Metab 11:35–40
Christiansen C, Christenson MS, Transbol I (1981) Bone mass in postmenopausal women after withdrawal of oestrogen/gestagen therapy. Lancet 1:459–461
Gruber HE, Ivey JL, Baylink DJ, Matthews M, Nelp WB, Sisom K, Chesnut CG (1984) Long-term calcitonin therapy in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Metabolism 33:295–303
Ettinger B, Genant HK, Cann CE (1985) Long-term estrogen replacement therapy prevents bone loss and fractures. Ann Intern Med 102:319–324
Nordin BEC, Peacock M (1983) Calcium and bone metabolism. Prog Clin Med 8:287–315
Riggs BL, Melton LJ (1986) Involutional osteoporosis. N Engl J Med 314:1676–1686
Chesnut CH, Nelp WB, Baylink DJ, Denney JD (1977) Effect of methandrostenolone on postmenopausal bone wasting as assessed by changes in total bone mineral mass. Metabolism 26:267–277
Chesnut CH, Ivey JL, Gruber HE, Matthews M, Nelp WB, Sisom K, Baylink DJ (1983) Stanozolol in postmenopausal osteoporosis: therapeutic efficacy and possible mechanisms of action. Metabolism 32:571–580
Dequeker J, Geusens P (1985) Anabolic steroids and osteoporosis. Acta Endocrinol 110 (Suppl 271):45–52
Nordin BEC, Chatterton BE, Walker CJ, Steurer TA, Horowitz M, Need AG (1985) The effect of calcium, hormones, and rocaltrol therapy on forearm bone mineral loss in osteoporotic postmenopausal women. In: Norman AW, Schaeffer K, Grigoleit HG, von Herrath D (eds) Vitamin D: chemical, biochemical and clinical update. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, pp 1045–1046
Nordin BEC, Robertson AR, Seamark RF, Bridges A, Philcox JC, Need AG, Horowitz M, Morris HA, Deam S (1985) The relation between calcium absorption, serum dehydroepiandrosterone and vertebral mineral density in postmenopausal women. J Clin Endocr Metab 60:651–657
Nordin BEC, Need AG, Morris HA, Horowitz M (1985) New approaches to the problems of osteoporosis. Clin Orthop Rel Res 200:187–197
Horsman A, Leach AE (1974) The estimation of the cross-sectional area of the ulna and radius. Am J Phys Anthrop 40:173–186
Connerty HV, Briggs AR (1966) Determination of serum calcium by means of cresolphthalein complexone. Am J Clin Pathol 45:290–296
Bergman I, Loxley R (1970) The determination of hydroxyproline in urine hydrolysates. Clin Chim Acta 27:347–349
Need AG, Guerin MD, Pain RW, Hartley TF, Nordin BEC (1985) The tubular maximum for calcium reabsorption: normal range and correction for sodium excretion. Clin Chim Acta 150:87–93
Walton RJ, Bijvoet OLM (1975) Nomogram for the derivation of renal threshold phosphate excretion. Lancet 2:309–310
Marshall DH, Nordin BEC (1981) A comparison of radioactive calcium absorption tests with net calcium absorption. Clin Sci 61:477–481
Nordin BEC, Horsman A, Aaron J (1976) Diagnostic procedures. In: Nordin BEC (ed) Calcium, phosphate and magnesium metabolism. Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone, pp 469–500
Nordin BEC, Peacock M, Need AG, Horowitz M, Philcox JC (1984) The relationship between calcium absorption and fasting urinary calcium and hydroxproline excretion in postmenopausal women in Leeds and Adelaide. In: Christensen C, Arnaud CD, Nordin BEC, Parfitt AM, Peck WA, Riggs BL (eds) Osteoporosis (Proc of the Copenhagen Int Symp on Osteoporosis). Aalborg, pp 513–515
Jensen FT, Charles P, Mosekilde L, Hansen HH (1983) Calcium metabolism evaluated by47calcium-kinetics: a physiological model with correction for faecal lag time and estimation of dermal calcium loss. Clin Physiol 3:187–204
Baran DT, Bergfeld MA, Teitelbaum SL, Avioli LA (1978) Effect of testosterone therapy on bone formation in an osteoporotic hypogonadal male. Calcif Tissue Int 26:103–106
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Need, A.G., Morris, H.A., Hartley, T.F. et al. Effects of nandrolone decanoate on forearm mineral density and calcium metabolism in osteoporotic postmenopausal women. Calcif Tissue Int 41, 7–10 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02555124
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02555124