ANABOLIC-STEROIDS AND LYMPHOCYTE FUNCTION IN SEDENTARY AND EXERCISE-TRAINED RATS

The effects of the administration of suprapharmacological doses of ana bolic steroids (AASs) on the immune system were examined in sedentary and exercise-trained rats by testing mobility and proliferative respon se in cultures of thymus and spleen-derived lymphocytes. Male Wistar r ats were exercise-trained following two programmes of treadmill runnin g of 3 months duration, differing in intensity, in the absence of trea tment or with simultaneous i.m. administration of a suprapharmacologic al dose (10 mg/kg/week) of nandrolone decanoate (ND) or stanozolol (ST ) during the past two months. At this dose ND reduced body weight gain , promoted a redistribution of immune cells from thymus to spleen, imp aired lymphocyte mobility and inhibited the mitogen-induced proliferat ive response (about 90% inhibition for thymus-derived cells), Stanozol ol (ST) treatment was without effect on body weight gain, but it also induced a redistribution of lymphocytes and modified the in vitro lymp hocyte activity, although less severely than ND. Application of the hi gh-intensity training programme reduced lymphocyte mobility and prolif eration in vitro and a simultaneous treatment with anabolic steroids f urther impaired some of the immune cell responses. Application of the endurance-directed training programme, however, did not reduce mobilit y or mitogen-induced proliferation of lymphocytes, and normalized the activity of these cells in anabolic steroid-treated rats. So, enduranc e exercise, contrary to high-intensity training, could counteract the apparent negative effects of high doses of androgens on lymphocyte fun ction. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.