RESUMO
AIMS: Oxandrolone (OXA) is a synthetic steroid used for the treatment of clinical conditions associated with catabolic states in humans, including children. However, its behavioral effects are not well known. Our goal was to evaluate the anxiety-like behavior induced in young adult rats after the treatment of juvenile animals with OXA. METHODS: Four-week-old male rats were separated into three groups: Control (CON), therapeutic-like OXA dose (TD), and excessive OXA dose (ED), in which 2.5 and 37.5 mg/kg/day of OXA were administered via gavage for four weeks for TD and ED, respectively. Behavior was evaluated through the elevated plus maze (EPM) and open field (OF) tests. Protein expression of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and dopamine receptor 2 (DrD2) were analyzed in tissue samples of the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex by Western Blot. RESULTS: OXA induced anxiety-like behaviors in both TD and ED animals; it decreased the time spent in the open arms of the EPM in both groups and reduced the time spent in the central zone of the OF in the TD group. In the hippocampus, CAT expression was higher in TD compared with both control and ED animals. No differences were found in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. TNF-α, SOD, and DrD2 levels were not altered in any of the assessed areas. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of juvenile rats with OXA led to anxiety-like behavior in young adult animals regardless of the dose used, with minor changes in the antioxidant machinery located in the hippocampus.
