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Cardiac Lesions Induced by Testosterone: Protective Effects of Dexrazoxane and Trimetazidine

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Abstract

Further to our previous observation of post-mortem cardiac lesions after sudden death in several athletes with a history of anabolic steroid abuse, this study was intended to reproduce these lesions in rabbits administered testosterone oenanthate, a prototypic anabolic steroid abused by athletes, and to provide evidence for the protective effects of trimetazidine and dexrazoxane that are used as antianginal and cardioprotective drugs, respectively. Groups of six rabbits each were administered saline, testosterone, or a combination of testosterone and either trimetazidine or dexrazoxane for 3 months. Histologic cardiac lesions including necrosis, misshapen cell nuclei, interstitial and endocardial fibrosis, lymphocytic infiltrates, and vascular dystrophies were observed in testosterone-treated rabbits. In contrast, no significant lesions were observed in the animals treated with testosterone combined with either trimetazidine or dexrazoxane. This is the first study providing evidence for testosterone cardiotoxicity following sub-chronic exposure in laboratory animals. In addition, these results suggest the protective role of trimetazidine and dexrazoxane.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Medical Pharmacology, Claude Bernard University, Inserm ERI 22, 8 Avenue Rockefeller, 69373, Lyon cedex 08, France

    Dalila Belhani, Fanny Vaillant, Waheed Manati, Bernard Bui-Xuan & Quadiri Timour

  2. Institute of Forensic Medicine, Claude Bernard University, 8 Avenue Rockefeller, 69373, Lyon cedex 08, France

    Laurent Fanton & Alain Tabib

  3. Centre Antipoison-Centre de Pharmacovigilance, 162 Avenue Lacassagne, 69424, Lyon cedex 03, France

    Jacques Descotes

Authors
  1. Dalila Belhani
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  2. Laurent Fanton
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  3. Fanny Vaillant
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  4. Jacques Descotes
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  5. Waheed Manati
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  6. Alain Tabib
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  7. Bernard Bui-Xuan
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  8. Quadiri Timour
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Correspondence to Jacques Descotes.

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Belhani, D., Fanton, L., Vaillant, F. et al. Cardiac Lesions Induced by Testosterone: Protective Effects of Dexrazoxane and Trimetazidine. Cardiovasc Toxicol 9, 64–69 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12012-009-9041-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12012-009-9041-7

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