Aims: 

The administration of anabolic steroids (AAS) has long plagued elite sports. Athletic activities are often accompanied by musculoskeletal injuries which are usually treated by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). Certain NSAIDs are implicated in the inhibition of the metabolic breakdown of AASs by blocking the glucuronidase enzyme and cause hepatorenal disorders. The aim of the study was to detect whether the coadministration of diclofenac and Stanazolol triggers hepatorenal pathologies together with changes in steroid breakdown.

Methods: 

Twenty-four adult male Brown Norway rats were assigned to 4 experimental groups receiving equal doses (5 mg/bwkg/day) of i.p. injected Stanazolol (Zambon, Spain) for 3 weeks. Diclofenac (Sigma, Hungary) was administered s.c. in 4 different doses (0, 1, 5, 25 mg/bwkg/day) for 7 weeks. Animal weights, blood and urine samples were weekly recorded/collected under anaesthesia. The rats were sacrificed and trapezius muscle, liver and kidney samples were processed for histology.

Results: 

Weight loss has correlated with the amount of diclofenac, however certain weight loss was apparent in the 'AAS only' group. Rats receiving the highest diclofenac dose have rapidly lost weight and did not survive the tenth day. No significant differences were found in the diameter of skeletal muscle fibers between the experimental groups. The histological analysis of diclofenac treated rats has verified fatty liver necrosis and pericellular fibrosis. In the kidney, the glomerular basement membrane was sporadically thickened.

Conclusions: 

Weight loss, detected in every group, might not be due to diclofenac treatment solely, but also to handling stress, caused by the weekly sampling, or the increased level of aggression. Liver and kidney findings suggest, that steroid metabolism is not only affected by a direct inhibition of glucuronidation but also by pathological alterations in cellular morphology. Further analyses are required to reveal whether coadministration of diclofenac and Stanazolol may alter steroid breakdown.

Support: 

Kingston University's Summer PDRA Research Funding