title: The effect of nandrolone treatment with and without enforced swimming on histological and biochemical changes in the heart and coronary artery of male rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) consumption increases incidence of cardiovascular abnormalities in athletes and mechanisms underlying those abnormalities continue to be investigated. This study examines whether nandrolone consumption induced cardiac and coronary artery wall abnormalities via oxidative stress. It was also designed to determine whether enforced swimming augmented possible cardiotoxic effects of nandrolone in rat heart.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups: control, nandrolone, and nandrolone with enforced swimming. Nandrolone group received 10 mg/kg body weight nandrolone 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Nandrolone group with enforced swimming received the same amount of nandrolone and was forced to swim with excess weight of 20% body weight.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 6 weeks of treatment, results indicated proliferation of heart muscle and coronary smooth muscle cells and lipid peroxidation; significant rise in levels of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase, homocysteine (Hcy), apolipoprotein B, low-density lipoprotein, and cholesterol, as well as severe fibrosis in heart tissue and around coronary arteries of nandrolone and nandrolone with enforced swimming groups compared with control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings strongly support idea that nandrolone intake by sedentary rats and exercised rats induced heart abnormality mediated by oxidative stress, which was manifest in increased lipid peroxidation, Hcy, and 8-OHdG in heart tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physician Education and Sport Sciences, Urmia University; Urmia-Iran.
authors.forename: Asghar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tofighi
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physician Education and Sport Sciences, Urmia University; Urmia-Iran.
authors.forename: Minoo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shirpoor
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences; Urmia-Iran.
authors.forename: M H Khadem
authors.initials: MHK
authors.lastname: Ansari
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences; Urmia-Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shirpoor
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences; Urmia-Iran.
authors.forename: Mitra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zerehpoosh
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D009277:Nandrolone / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013550:Swimming
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D009277:Nandrolone; D002784:Cholesterol