Abstract
Background: Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) is being used in medical
treatments, but AAS also was identified to have the risks of adverse
effects towards patients and consumers health. Objective: Present study
was conducted to observe the effects of testosterone, nandrolone, and
stanozolol (forms of AAS) intake during onset of puberty on the rat
testicular histology. Materials and Methods: Juvenile male
Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (n=42) were divided into seven groups and were
injected subcutaneously with medium dose of polyethylene glycol-200
(PEG-200) (control), testosterone, nandrolone, and stanozolol for six
weeks (PND 41-87). The animals were weighed daily and sacrificed on PND
88. Testes were removed, weighed, and prepared for histological
assessment and finally specimens were observed under microscope.
Results: The results showed an insignificant increase in mean daily
body weight with highest and lowest body weight gained was of
177.6±1.69 gr and 140.0±12.26 gr respectively. There was
significant decrease in the testes absolute weight (p≤0.01) in
all experimental groups except in the nandrolone 2.5 mg/kg/week treated
group. Testicular histology of rats treated with AAS also showed slight
changes in the uniformity of arrangements of seminiferous tubules.
Conclusion: Data from present study suggests that AAS have been
initiating the adverse effects on testicular normal functions in rats
during onset of puberty.