Use of high-dose nandrolone aggravates septic shock in a mouse model

Nandrolone, an anabolic-androgenic steroid, is widely misused by athletes who wish to rapidly increase muscle mass and performance. An increasing number of reports have indicated that nandrolone may affect and modulate the immune system. This study aimed to investigate the effects of nandrolone on septic shock-caused immune responses and the cellular mechanism of action using a sepsis murine model. Before septic shock induction, BALB/c mice were given a high dose of nandrolone or peanut oil only. After septic shock induction, mice were sacrificed at different time points. Their blood and tissue specimens were analyzed. It was found that the high-dose nandrolone group had significantly increased mortality compared with the control group (p < 0.001). The serum malondialdehyde level was significantly increased in the high-dose group compared with the control group. Animals administered a high dose of nandrolone had significantly increased hepatic tumor necrosis factor-α or splenic interferon-γ at 0 and 6 hours. In lung tissue, insulin-like growth factor-1, insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor, and IGFBP1 and IGFBP2 mRNA expression were increased in the high-dose nandrolone group at 6 hours. Nandrolone abuse may hasten the death of patients with septic shock and may aggravate septic shock in mice.

摘要諾龍（Nandrolone），一種人工合成的同化性類固醇，許多運動員都會用以快速增加肌肉量及運動表現。越來越多報導指出諾龍可能會影響並調節免疫系統。本研究欲分析諾龍對敗血性休克所引起的免疫反應之影響，並利用敗血性休克小鼠模式探討相關細胞作用機制。對BALB/c小鼠誘發敗血性休克前，將實驗動物分成對照組及實驗組，每日分別給予高劑量花生油或諾龍。小鼠誘發敗血性休克後，在不同時間點犧牲，採集血液及組織樣本進行分析。分析結果發現，實驗組（高劑量諾龍）小鼠的死亡率明顯高於對照組（p＜0.001）；同樣地，實驗組血清malondialdehyde濃度也明顯較高。給予高劑量諾龍後0及6小時，實驗組動物的肝臟腫瘤壞死因子α或脾臟干擾素γ會明顯上升。實驗組接受高劑量諾龍後6小時，其肺臟組織的第一型類胰島素生長因子（insulin-like growth factor-1）及其受體蛋白、類胰島素生長因子結合蛋白與類胰島素生長因子結合蛋白1及2之mRNA表現都會增加。本研究結果證實諾龍會使小鼠的敗血性休克程度惡化，由此推論諾龍的濫用會加速敗血性休克患者的死亡。