Summary
The haemodynamic effects of 6 weeks nandrolone decanoate treatment (total dose 30 mg · kg−1) (SG I,n=12) and their reversibility were studied in anaesthetised, open-chest male rats exposed to 5 min isoproterenol (2.5 μg · kg−1) and CaCl2 (25.0 mg · kg−1) loads. In SG I, the heart weight and its ratio to body weight were greater than in the untreated rats (CG I,n=13) (p<0.05 andp<0.01 respectively). The initial heart rate and the inotropic and chronotropic responses to isoproterenol were lower in SG I than in CG I (p<0.05 in all cases). Peripheral resistance decreased during both infusions in SG I but remained unaltered in CG I (p<0.05). 6 weeks after finishing anabolic steroid treatment (SG II,n=11), in the CaCl2-test the ejection fraction (p<0.05) and stroke index were smaller than in control rats of the same age (CG II,n = 12). Mean aortic pressure was lower in SG II than in CG II. In the CaCl2-test peripheral resistance was initially higher, but decreased during the infusion in SG II while it increased in CG II (p<0.05 in both cases). In conclusion, anabolic steroid treatment reversibly reduces the left ventricular response to isoproterenol. It decreases peripheral vascular tone during inotropic loads. Six weeks after the cessation of treatment, the pumping efficiency of the heart is reduced.
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Pesola, M.K. Reversibility of the haemodynamic effects of anabolic steroids in rats. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 58, 125–131 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00636615
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00636615