The effect of two
anabolic steroids,
norandrostenolone-phenylpropionate (
Nerobolil) and
norandrostenolone-decanoate (
Retabolil) on the liver was studied in rats.
Body weight, wet liver weight and the
protein content of the liver homogenisates were found to increase under the effect of anabolic treatment, the most explicitely in females treated with
Nerobolil. The function of the liver to metabolize
hexobarbital, measured in vivo, is increased by a single dose of anabolic. The prolongation of treatment keeps on shortening
hexobarbital anaesthesia only in females. Even 8 weeks after the end of treatment the effect is invariably lasting in females, in males it is not. Studies of the vaginal cycle cannot prove a decline of ovarial function. In females the hepatotropic effect of anabolic treatment, performed simultaneously with the chronic
carbon tetrachloride lesion can be demonstrated. The liver weight and
protein content are maintained on the control level. Under the effect of anabolic treatment the function to metabolize the effect of anabolic treatment the function to metabolize
hexobarbital, which has been impaired by the lesion, remains near the level of the untreated animals. Our experiments support the observations of the inductive property of the
steroids being parallel to their anabolic characteristics. Their catatoxic effect is pronounced in females.
Nerobolil was found to be more advantageous from the point of view of both anabolic and hepatotropic effect. Our experiments do not suggest the possibility of liver damage during the administration of these two anabolics. The effect of the anabolics on the enzymatic induction may be of therapeutic value when adequate preparations are selected and sex differences as well as the character of the liver damage are taken into consideration.