O-9: Exercise and Supraphysiological Dose ofNandrolone Deconoate Increase Apoptosis inSpermatogenic Cells

Background: Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are used at high doses by athletes for improving athletic ability, physical appearance and muscle mass. Unfortunately, the abuse of these agents has significantly increased. It has been established that exercise and high doses of AAS may influence the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal (H-P-G) axis, which can in turn affect the testicular apoptosis. However, the effect of the combination of exercise and high dose of AAS on testicular apoptosis is not known. This study has investigated the combined effects of exercise and high doses of nandrolone decanoate on apoptosis in the spermatogenic cell lineage.Materials and Methods: Five groups of male Wistar Strain albino rats were treated as follows for 8 weeks: solvent of nandrolone decanoate (peanut oil) as a vehicle (Sham); nandrolone decanoate (ND) (10 mg/kg/ weekly) (ND); exercise (1 hr/day, 5 days a week) (exercise); ND (10 mg/kg/weekly) and exercise (1 hr/day, 5 days a week) (ND-exercise); and sedentary control without any injection or exercise (Control). Apoptosis in the male germ line was characterized by TUNEL,caspase-3 assay and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results: The weights of the testis and accessory sex organs, as well as sperm parameters significantly decreased in the experimental groups relative to the sham and control groups (p≤0.05). Germ cell apoptosis and a significant decrease in the number of germ cell layers in ND-exercise treated testes were observed (p≤0.05). Conclusion: Exercise training seems to increase the extent of apoptotic changes caused by supraphysiological dose of ND in rats, which in turn affects fertility.