Anabolic steroids actions

Tan, R. S., and M. C. Scally. Anabolic Steroid-Induced Hypogonadism Towards a Unified Hypothesis of Anabolic Steroid Action. Medical Hypotheses 72 (2009) 723-28. 

Classification of the anabolic steroids is based on chemical stmctures and associated actions. A review of the biosynthesis and metabolism of the naturally occurring estrogens and androgens is available (1). Names, descriptions, approval dates, and recommended doses of the commercial products are found in References 1, 8, and 9. Although steroids may be orally active, the FDA approved mode of adrninistration is the subcutaneous implant. Effective dose is lower with implant rather than oral adrninistration. 

When the anabolic steroids are administered with anticoagulants the anticoagulant effect maybe increased. Administration of methyitestosterone with imipramine may cause a paranoid response in some patients The anabolic steroids may increase the hypoglycemic action when administered with thesulfonylureas... 

Mechanism of Action An anabolic steroid that promotes tissue-building processes, increases production of erythropoietin, causes protein anabolism, and increases hemoglobin and red blood cell volume. Therapeutic Effect Controls metastatic breast cancer and helps manage anemia of renal insufficiency. 

Steroids that aid in muscle development are called anabolic steroids. They are synthetic derivatives of testosterone, thus have the same muscle-building effect as testosterone. There are more than 100 different anabolic steroids which, vary in structure, duration of action, relative effects and toxicities. Androstenedione, stanozolol and dianabol are anabolic steroids. They are used to treat people suffering from traumas accompanied by muscle deterioration. The use of anabolic steroid can lead to a number of dangerous side-effects, including lowered levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol, which benefits the heart, and elevated levels of harmful low density lipoprotein, stimulation of prostate tumours, clotting disorders and liver problems. 

Somatotropin, the adrenergic agonists, and the anabolic steroids are considered metabolism modifiers because these compounds alter protein, lipid, carbohydrate, mineral metabolism, or combinations of these and they partition nutrient use toward greater rates of protein deposition, ie, muscle growth, and lesser rates of lipid accretion. Historical data leading to understanding of the mechanism (s) of action are found in reviews on anabolic steroids (1), somatotropin (2—4), and the phenethanolamines (5—7). 

Mechanism of Action. Few data are available that describe the effects of anabolic steroids on protein metabolism even fewer data exist for assessment of direct effects of anabolic steroids on lipid metabolism in growing ruminants. The lack of any consistent change in somatotropin, prolactin, insulin, or other metabolic hormones (qv) in a total of 15 studies has been noted (1,38). 

Mechanism of Action. p-Agonists stimulate skeletal muscle growth by accelerating rates of fiber hypertrophy and protein synthesis, but generally do not alter muscle DNA content in parallel with the increases in protein accretion (133—135). This is in contrast to the effects of anabolic steroids and ST on skeletal muscle growth. Both of the latter stimulate fiber hypertrophy and muscle protein synthesis, but also increase muscle DNA content coincident with increased protein accretion. Whether the p-agonists decrease muscle protein degradation is equivocal. 

Research has shown a rapid and quite strong direct anabolic action from PG s in muscle cells. If PG s such as PGF-2 and PGE-2 are introduced into muscle cells, protein synthesis occurs at an incredible rate. If insulin is introduced into muscle cells with PGF-2 or PGE-2 there is a profound synergistic response. This places certain PG s among the most potent of anabolic activators. Perhaps far more so than anabolic steroids. This also suggests that the powerful anabolic actions of IGF-1, insulin, and amino acids are all mediated in one way or another by PG s. 

There are basically three types of cytochrome P450 inducers (1) phenobarbital-like (the major class) (2) methylcholanthrene-like (which actually increases a P448 isozyme) and (3) anabolic steroids. The former two have been the most frequently studied. Research over the past 40-50 years indicates that their mechanism of action involves genetic interaction, possibly via derepression of a repressor gene, and the subsequent synthesis of mRNA for the specific enzyme proteins. Examples of phenobarbital-like enzyme inducers, the most common, are shown in Table 3.6. 

The 17-year-old male athlete admits to the nurse that he has been taking anabolic steroids to increase his muscle strength. Which action should the nurse implement ... 

Steroids are hormones that are known to modulate DNA expression and protein expression. Adrenal hormones (e.g., aldosterone and cortisol) participate in the control of metabolism and of salt and water homeostasis. The other class of steroid hormones, gonadal hormones (e.g., estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone), influence mammalian sexual development and function. Several steroids also modulate neurotransmitter action, and some athletes have misused anabolic steroids to enhance their physical strength and performance. GC/MS has been used in conjunction with El or Cl as an ionization method for steroids to determine molecular mass, elemental composition, and length of the side chain of a steroid hydrocarbon. Although these techniques are highly sensitive, they require multistep derivatization of these thermally labile compounds. FAB-MS has proven to be a useful technique to analyze underivatized urinary... 

Among certain athletes, the misuse of anabolic steroids to build muscle mass and strength, particularly for sports that require explosive action, is common. The risks associated with abusing anabolic steroids for this purpose are enormous heightened aggressiveness, sterility, impotence, and premature death from complications of diabetes, coronary artery disease, and liver cancer. 

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