Microbial oxidation of anabolic steroids.

Microbial transformation of two anabolic steroids, ethylestrenol (1) and nandrolone (2), were carried out. Ethylestrenol (1), when incubated with Rhizopus stolonifer (TSY 0471), yielded two oxidative metabolites named 17alpha-ethyl-3beta,17beta-dihydroxy-19-norndrost-4-ene (3) and 17alpha-ethyl-17beta-hydroxy-19-norandrost-4-en-3-one (4), while incubation of compound 2 with the same fungus yielded two oxidative metabolites, 19-norandrost-4-en-3,17-dione (5) and 6alpha,17beta-dihydroxy-19-norandrost-1,4-dien-3-one (6).

17alpha-ethyl-5beta-estrane-3alpha, 17beta-diol, a biological marker for the abuse of norethandrolone and ethylestrenol in slaughter cattle.

The metabolism of the illegal growth promoter ethylestrenol (EES) was evaluated in bovine liver cells and subcellular fractions of bovine liver preparations. Incubations with bovine microsomal preparations revealed that EES is extensively biotransformed into norethandrolone (NE), another illegal growth promoter. Furthermore, incubations of monolayer cultures of hepatocytes with NE indicated that NE itself is rapidly reduced to 17alpha-ethyl-5beta-estrane-3alpha, 17beta-diol (EED). In vivo tests confirmed that, after administration of either EES or NE, EED is excreted as a major metabolite. Therefore, it was concluded that, both in urine and faeces samples, EED can be used as a biological marker for the illegal use of EES and/or NE. Moreover, by monitoring EED in urine or faeces samples, the detection period after NE administration is significantly prolonged. These findings were further confirmed by three cases of norethandrolone abuse in a routine screening program for forbidden growth promoters.

In vitro liver models are important tools to monitor the abuse of anabolic steroids in cattle.

Current veterinary residue analysis mainly focuses on the monitoring of residues of the administered parent compound. However, it is possible that larger amounts of metabolites are excreted and that they can have a prolonged excretion period. In order to unravel specific metabolic steps and to identify possible biological markers, two in vitro liver models were used, i.e. monolayer cultures of isolated hepatocytes and liver microsomes, both prepared from liver tissue of cattle. Chostebol, boldenone, norethandrolone (NE) and ethylestrenol (EES) were used as model substrates. Results show that the metabolic profiles derived from in vitro experiments are predictive for the in vivo metabolic pathways of the steroids evaluated in this study. By means of this strategy, it is possible to identify 17 alpha-ethyl-5 beta-estrane-3 alpha,17 beta-diol (EED) as a common biological marker for NE and EES. By in vivo experiments it was shown that EED is particularly important for the detection of the abuse of NE or EES because of its high excretion levels and its prolonged presence as compared with the parent compounds or any other metabolite.

The effects of pregnenolone sulfate and ethylestrenol on retention of a passive avoidance task.

Two experiments using male rats evaluated the effects of a range of doses of the neurosteroid, pregnenolone sulfate (PS), or of the synthetic neurosteroid, ethylestrenol (E), on the retention of a passive avoidance task. The steroids either were given immediately after the training trial or 1 h before the first retention test. Retention tests were given both 24 h and 48 h after acquisition. In both experiments, separate groups of animals were trained under low or moderate footshock conditions. At all doses tested both PS and E improved retention under the low footshock conditions. In groups trained with the higher footshock, the steroid-treated groups performed no better than the vehicle controls. Indeed, there were suggestions that some doses impaired retention. These results seem best understood as an induction of bimodality or 'turbulence' in behavior as used in Chaos theory rather than a shift in an inverted U-shaped retention function. In the second experiment in which the steroids were given before retention testing, they were generally without effect.

Effects of steroids with different endocrine profiles on the development, morphology and function of the bursa of Fabricius in chickens.

This paper describes the effect of various steroids on the anlage of the bursa of Fabricius in chickens. The steroids were administered by dipping embryonated eggs on the third day of incubation in ethanolic solutions of these steroids. The results with about 30 different steroids show that the capacity to inhibit the development of the bursa does not correlate with the endocrine properties of these steroids as measured in routine screening tests for androgenic, anabolic, progestational and oestrogenic activities or with the relative binding affinities for various endocrine receptors. More elaborate studies with several representative steroids show that testosterone (10 mg/ml), nandrolone (10 mg/ml), 11 alpha-hydroxynandrolone (10 mg/ml), ethylestrenol (1 mg/ml), lynestrenol (1 mg/ml), and Org OD14 [tibolone] (0.1 mg/ml) induce also histomorphological changes in the remaining bursa tissue still present in 10 day- and 53-day old chickens and in the bursa-dependent sites of their spleens (53-day old chickens only). Testosterone and lynestrenol induced smaller changes than nandrolone or ethylestrenol. Tibolone and 11 alpha-hydroxynandrolone were more effective than nandrolone. All drugs, except testosterone and lynestrenol, imparied antibody formation to Newcastle Disease Virus and decreased the serum levels of total IgG, but not of total IgM. Also these effects were not correlated with endocrine properties. In other studies (for references, see text) we found that several of these steroids, notably tibolone, favourably influence the course of spontaneous autoimmune diseases of NZB/W mice and Obese Strain chickens. Since this autoimmunosuppression is likely to be caused by inhibitory effects on bursa or bursa equivalent, we may use this approach for developing medically useful autoimmunosuppressive steroids with minimal endocrine effects.

Therapeutic effects of nandrolone decanoate, tibolone, lynestrenol and ethylestrenol on Sjögren's syndrome-like disorder in NZB/W mice.

Growth of mononuclear cell infiltration in submandibular glands is significantly inhibited by Org OD14 (tibolone), lynestrenol and ethylestrenol given orally to New Zealand Black/White (NZB/W) mice from 26 weeks of age onwards. In addition, the extent of already established mononuclear cell infiltrations is significantly inhibited and reduced by nandrolone decanoate injected from 43 weeks of age onwards. Tibolone and nandrolone decanoate are the most potent of the four drugs. The therapeutic effect of these four steroids on the Sjögren's syndrome-like disorder in NZB/W mice is not related to their endocrine activities.

Effects of tibolone, lynestrenol, ethylestrenol, and desogestrel on autoimmune disorders in NZB/W mice.

The effects of two progestagens--lynestrenol, desogestrel--an anabolic steroid--ethylestrenol--and a compound with weak progestational, anabolic, androgenic, and estrogenic activities--tibolone--on the development of systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren's syndrome-like disorders were studied in the NZB/W mouse. All four compounds inhibited the expression of autoimmune disease. Tibolone was 10-40 times more potent--depending on the parameter used--in preventing symptoms of autoimmunity than the second most effective compound lynestrenol. Ethylestrenol was the third effective compound and desogestrel the least effective compound in this series. Combined with literature data, these results show that steroids with different endocrine profiles can prevent the development of autoimmunity in the NZB/W mice. Since the NZB/W mouse is a good animal model for human systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren's syndrome and since tibolone, lynestrenol, and ethylestrenol have endocrinological profiles which are not prohibitive for treatment of male and female patients, investigation whether these compounds have a value in the treatment of human autoimmune diseases seems warranted.

Idiopathic atrophie blanche.

Idiopathic atrophie blanche (segmental hyalinizing vasculitis; livedo reticularis with summer ulceration) is a chronic cutaneous disorder of young to middle-aged women that is characterized by persistent painful leg ulcerations. Primary lesions consist of purpuric macules and papules which undergo superficial ulceration, followed eventually by the development of irregular, atrophic, porcelain white scars with fine borders of ectatic vessels. We have studied twelve patients with idiopathic atrophie blanche by immunofluorescence, thin section light microscopy, and electron microscopy. All patients were examined extensively in order to rule out primary immunologic and vaso-occlusive disorders that may result in a similar clinical appearance. Subsequently, ten patients were treated for 1 to 12 years with combinations of phenformin and ethylestrenol. Each treated patient noted rapid improvement in existing lesions, significantly less pain, and a decrease in the development of new lesions. Side effects in all but two patients were minimal and well tolerated. Light and electron microscopic examination of early and well-developed lesions revealed fibrin plugs which first occlude superficial dermal vessels, followed by necrosis and obliteration of the affected vessel walls. Eventually, new vessel formation occurs in some areas of fibrin deposition. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes and mononuclear cells only rarely participate in this process. Although this disorder has previously been considered a localized form of cutaneous vasculitis, the absence of both leukocytes and nuclear fragmentation from the neighborhood of vascular structures in early lesions differentiates this disorder from immune complex-mediated necrotizing vasculitis. Thus the term vasculopathy describes this disorder more appropriately than the term vasculitis.

Cellular growth responses of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) fed different levels of dietary protein, and an anabolic steroid ethylestrenol.

Cellular growth responses of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) fed different levels of dietary protein (35, 45, and 55%), with and without the anabolic steroid ethylestrenol, have been studied over a 60-day period. With an increase in dietary protein, total liver proteins increased in fish fed the steroid-free (control) diets, whereas no change occurred in the other tissues. Muscle and spleen RNA was unchanged, but RNA increased in liver, kidney, and brain. The DNA content increased in muscle, decreased in brain, but remained constant in liver, kidney, and spleen. Feeding the ethylestrenol-supplemented (experimental) diets resulted in an increase in total proteins, RNA, and DNA of kidney over the respective control value at each level of dietary protein. In the other tissues, total proteins and DNA were essentially unchanged, but total RNA content decreased in liver and increased in muscle in the experimental groups. It is concluded that in trout, the dietary protein level exerts marked differential effects on cellular growth parameters (RNA/DNA, RNA/protein, protein/DNA), which are further modified by steroid treatment. Evidence that cellular growth responses in muscle keep pace with total body growth was also indicated.

Prospective study of a phenformin-like substance (moroxydine chloride) in patients with deficient vessel wall fibrinolysis.

It is known that ethylestrenol and/or phenformin can normalize deficient fibrinolysis in the vessel walls and prevent recurrent thromboembolism (Hedner et al., 1976; Nilsson et al., 1975, 1981). Because of the side-effects of phenformin, we studied the effect of a phenformin-like substance: moroxydine chloride (Kabi 1886), which unlike phenformin, does not cause lactic acidosis. A prospective randomized clinical trial was carried out on 49 patients with a decreased release capacity of fibrinolytic activity (venous occlusion test for 20 min as described by Robertson et al. (1972) on at least two occasions. They received either moroxydine chloride in a dose of 0.04 g/kg a day or no specific treatment. Most of the patients had earlier at least one episode of deep venous thrombosis. At review 6 months after entering the trial, it was found that out of 26 patients receiving moroxydine chloride, the release capacity was normal in 16 (62%), compared with 5 (22%) of the 23 controls. Dicoumarol alone did not seem to have any effect on the fibrinolysis. The only side-effects were occasional diarrhea in two, which was controlled by reduction of the dose, and itching requiring withdrawal of the drug in one. Moroxydine chloride, thus, seems to normalize a defective release capacity of vessel wall in a fair percentage of cases.

Anabolic steroids. Part 2: the disposition of ethylestrenol in the rat.

1. The absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of [3H]ethylestrenol were studied in the rat. 2. Approximately one third of an intragastric dose was absorbed; 17% of the dose was excreted in urine and 83% in faeces within 10 days. 3. The dose is distributed throughout the rat, and kidney and liver were found to contain respectively 2.5-3 and 5-7 times the average specific activity of all other tissues. 4. Unchanged ethylestrenol was the only component detected in urine. Ethylestrenol was also found in faeces, along with two different dihydroxylated dihydro derivatives and one trihydroxylated dihydro derivative.