Bernardo Porto Maia; Jéssica de Oliveira Silveira; Mariana Garcia Lisboa Borges; Danilo Ales Ponzi Pereira; Julyara Lima Pinheiro; Jofre Jacob da Silva Freitas & Katia Simone Kietzer

Summary

Androgenic anabolic steroids (AAS) are artificial testosterone analogues, used as medicine in chronic diseases, because they increase protein synthesis generating muscle hypertrophy. Its effect has caught the attention of athletes and gym users, thus their consumption has become epidemic, due to easy marketing, the immediate results and the false impression that it doesn't carry health risks. Such risks may globally harm the body. This study aims to investigate the influence on spermatogenesis of using nandrolone decanoate with or without physical training. Twenty-four rats, divided into four groups were used: sedentary group (SG), sedentary on steroids group (SSG), trained group (TG) and trained on steroids group (TSG). The animals were trained on voluntary exercise wheel twice a week during 12 weeks, and were subsequently euthanized by decapitation. Groups TSG and SSG received intramuscular injections of 5 mg / kg of the AAS. It was found that there was a greater cellularity in TSG, suggesting interference between androgen therapy and physical training on the mount of cells in the seminiferous epithelium. Comparing the TSG group with the SG, it is noticed that the physical training associated with the use of steroid tends to affect cell division without compromise, however, the number of spermatogonia, did not significantly vary compared to the control group. Finally, it seems that there was no significant statistical difference among the groups in terms of spermatogenesis yield, so that can not be said that the use of nandrolone decanoate, with or without the physical training, interfere with fertility.

KEY WORDS: Spermatogenesis; Anabolic agents; Nandrolone ; Exercise; Fertility.

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