ToxSci Advance Access published online on July 25, 2007
Toxicological Sciences, doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfm186
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nandrolone Potentiates Arrhythmogenic Effects of Cardiac Ischaemia in the Rat
* Department of Clinical & Experimental Pharmacology, University of Adelaide, Frome Rd. Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia. rod.irvine{at}adelaide.edu.au
CSIRO, Health Sciences & Nutrition, Kintore Avenue, Adelaide, SA, 5000 Australia. Michael.Adams{at}csiro.au, Mahinda.Abeywardena{at}csiro.au
Cardiology Unit, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville, 5011, Australia. jennifer.kennedy{at}adelaide.edu.au
Corresponding author: Dr. Rodney J Irvine, Department of Clinical & Experimental Pharmacology, L5 Medical School North, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia, Email: rod.irvine{at}adelaide.edu.au, Ph. 61 8 8303 6934, Fax 61 8 8224 0685
Received April 19, 2007; revision received June 25, 2007; accepted June 25, 2007
 |
Abstract |
|---|
Anabolic steroid abuse has been associated with thrombosis and arteriosclerosis, both of which predispose to myocardial ischaemia and infarction. However, there are reports of sudden cardiac death in the absence of thrombus and atheroma following anabolic steroid use. Although treatment with the commonly-abused steroid, nandrolone, has been shown to decrease recovery of systolic function following ischaemia in isolated rat hearts, it is unknown whether anabolic steroids can increase the incidence of fatal arrhythmia associated with cardiac ischaemia. Anaesthetised male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered vehicle or nandrolone (10-160µg/kg/min iv) 10 min prior to 15 min occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery followed by 10 min reperfusion. Nandrolone, in this dose range, did not significantly change heart rate, blood pressure, or cardiac rhythm in the absence of ischaemia. However, the fraction of rats surviving ischaemia was significantly (P<0.05) decreased by nandrolone at both 40 & 160µg/kg/min, while survival time during ischaemia was decreased significantly (P<0.001) by nandrolone 160µg/kg/min. An increase (P<0.05) in the duration of ventricular fibrillation was noted at the highest compared to the lowest dose of nandrolone, corresponding to a significant increase in the fraction of rats experiencing ventricular fibrillation (P<0.01). Nandrolone had no effect on the frequency or duration of ventricular fibrillation or survival time during reperfusion. Although the mechanisms underlying these effects are currently unclear, they indicate that exposure to anabolic steroids in combination with transient reductions in coronary blood flow may explain some reports of sudden cardiac death in anabolic steroid users.
Key Words: nandrolone; cardiac; ischaemia; arrhythmia; ventricular fibrillation.