Análise do pênis de rato após administração crônica de esteróide anabólico androgênico

Abstract

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are used by many athletes to improve muscle mass. AAS abuse is associated with urogenital disorders, including erectile dysfunction. However, penile morphological changes resulting from the use of AAS have not been described. The aim of the study is to assess the penile morphological modifications of pubertal and adult rats chronically treated with supra-physiological doses of AAS. Forty-eight male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control rats, 105 days (C105) and 65 days old (C65), subjected to injection of the vehicle only; and treated mice, 105 days (T105) and 65 days old (T65), subjected to injection of nandrolone decanoate at a dose of 10 mg/kg once a week for eight weeks. The rats were killed and their penises were collected, fixed and processed routinely for histology. Sections 5μm thick were stained with Masson trichrome, picrosirius red and examined under light microscopy. The surface density of the sinusoidal space and smooth muscle of the corpus cavernosum tissue were calculated by the point counting method. The area of the penis, the corpus cavernosum (with and without tunica albuginea) and tunica albuginea were measured in transverse sections. The group means were compared using the Student t-test. In all cases, significance was set at 0.05 probability. Among other differences, there was a decrease in the corpus cavernosum without tunica albuginea of 12.5% in the T105 group and 10.9% in the T65 group, compared to their controls. The cavernous smooth muscle surface density decreased 5.6% and 12.9% in T65 and T105 groups compared with their controls. The sinusoidal space increased by 17% in the T105 group and decreased by 9.6% in the T65 group. The use of high doses of ASA promoted structural changes in the adult rat penis, and these may be involved in erectile dysfunction.