Reversal of the hepatic damage induced by the supraphysiological dose of nandrolone decanoate after its withdrawal in the adult male rat

Nandrolone decanoate is an anabolic-androgenic steroid that is frequently used at a very high dose to improve the physical performance. Recently, this drug has been abused by athletes to augment their muscle mass and improve their physical performance. However, this could have an impact on other body systems with the potential increase in its harmful effect. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of administering a supraphysiological dose of nandrolone decanoate on the hepatic functions and structure of the adult rat and to test the potential reversibility after nandrolone withdrawal. Thirty adult male rats were equally divided into; control group, nandrolone-treated group (10 mg/kg/IM/weekly) for four weeks and recovery group (received nandrolone for four weeks followed by four weeks recovery). The results showed that nandrolone treatment led to a significant increase in the body weight gain and in the levels of serum alanine and aspartate transaminases. Moreover, the liver sections from nandrolone-treated rat showed; dilatation and congestion in the blood vessels, inflammatory cellular infiltration with hepatic fibrosis, severe vacuolar cytoplasmic degeneration, apoptotic hyperchromatic nuclei and partial loss of mitochondrial cristae in the hepatocytes. In addition, nandrolone treatment resulted in significant increase in the apoptotic index and the area percentage of GFAP positive stellate cells in the liver tissues. Importantly, withdrawal of nandrolone for 4 weeks rescued these biochemical and histological changes. In conclusion, our results showed that supraphysiological dose of nandrolone has hepatotoxic effects in the adult rat and showed that these toxic effects are reversible after treatment withdrawal.