Lecture 16 - Steroids Flashcards
Describe the background and history of anabolic-androgenic steroids
- Anabolic-androgenic steroids
- Anabolic: increase muscle mass
- Androgenic: masculinising/ testosterone-like
- Essentially it is largely synthetic testosterone
- May be used therapeutically to treat conditions such as low testosterone/ hypogonadism in males
- Also used therapeutically, e.g. for rheumatoid arthritis and anemia, and to build muscle for the bed-ridden
Describe the history and origins of steroids
- It has been known for thousands of year that the testes led to behavioural changes in males during puberty (this understanding came from knowing what castration did to young boys)
- In the 1870’s Brown-Séquard began his experiments with testicular extracts, suggesting some form of chemical/hormonal understanding – injected substances from testes in animals into prepubescent dogs, then himself (developed more energy e.g. could stand for longer, muscle mass)
- Testosterone was isolated in the 1930s, and numerous synthetic androgens were quickly developed thereafter
Describe the origins of consumption of steroids
- By the 1940’s the benefits of the drugs muscle gains for athletic purposes became realised
- By the 1950’s the drug was being used by doctors overseeing body builders and widely used by Russian weightlifters, and then began to move into other sporting events
- In 2016 ALL Russian weightlifters were banned from the Olympics with doping being so prevalent (government-wide – many doped against their will)
What is the link between steroids and sporting events?
- Steroids taken orally or intramuscularly, also in creams/gels or as patches
- Endurance athletes and sprinters use low doses
- Bodybuilders and strength athletes use up to 100x therapeutic dose
- Oral steroids potentially metabolized too fast in liver to act
- Additional variants specially designed to avoid problem of rapid metabolism, and to minimize androgenic relative to anabolic effects
What are the long term effects to those doped against their will?
- Causes genetic changes e.g. arthritis even decades after use (long term effects)
- Likely to die 10-12 years earlier
- More likely to fall ill compared to general population
What are some methods of ingestion?
Oral or injection (depending on which type) - regime to maximise benefits and minimise deficits
What happens to muscle strength and volume following chronic testosterone administration to men (Bhasin et al., 2001)?
Increases
What are some behavioural effects?
Picture in notes
What are the neural mechanisms of steroids?
- Androgen molecules bind to androgen receptors, altering gene transmission and expression (genetic changes may be passed on to offspring – research unclear)
Describe hypothesis 1 of neural mechanisms
Steroids act at androgen receptors:
- Androgen receptors are present in cytoplasm of skeletal muscle (and many other places)
- Androgens bind, and activate receptors, which move to cell nucleus and regulate DNA transcription of specific genes
- Androgen receptor activation increases protein synthesis and muscle growth (specific gene to be identified)
Problem for hypothesis 1 (act at androgen receptors)
- Some argue that normally androgen receptors already saturated, so how can steroids work on them?
What are some alternative hypotheses?
- Hypothesis 2: steroid treatment induces receptor expression in muscle
- Hypothesis 3: androgens are antagonists for glucocorticoid hormones - which are catabolic: decrease protein synthesis, increase in protein breakdown
Describe addiction in steroid users
- The following are reported in steroid users (meeting DSM criteria)
- Take more than intended
- Can’t cut down even though want to
- Spend much time obtaining and using
- Continue use despite problems use causes
- Replace other activities with substance use
- To some extent users show:
- Withdrawal symptoms - fatigue, depression, insomnia, restlessness, anorexia, decreased libido, dissatisfaction with body image, desire for more steroids
- No reports of self-administration in mice
- Don’t produce euphoria, or elicit cravings during withdrawal
- So perhaps initially reinforcing because of effect on body image - only get dependence in people for whom this is important - not because the steroid is psychoactive
What have laboratory studies shown about steroid addiction?
- Steroids seen as rewarding in mice
- Systemic testosterone and testosterone in nucleus accumbens both produce a conditioned place preference in mice
- Nucleus accumbens is a neural substrate of reward
- The place preference is blocked by the D1/D2 antagonist -flupenthixol (not chemically related to testosterone)
What are some possible health consequences of steroid use?
- Leads to severe acne and facial hair growth due to androgenic component
- Eczema
More in notes
What are some behavioural consequences of steroids?
- ‘Roid rage’ characterised by:
- Dramatic mood swings
- Increased feelings of hostility
- Impaired judgement
- Increased levels of aggression
- Pope et al. (2000)
More in notes
What are some adverse effects of steroids?
- Breast growth in men
- Some effects are reversible, others are long term
More in notes
What are some society and legal issues associated with steroids?
- The government’s expert advisers on illicit drugs have warned of the growing use of anabolic steroids by boys as young as 12
- The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is to write to the home secretary voicing grave concerns about the growing abuse of anabolic steroids, which are now being used by “tens of thousands” of bodybuilders and teenagers
- It had been estimated that there were tens of thousands of people using steroids to improve the results of training regimens to make themselves look more muscular, said Professor David Nutt, chairman of the council’s technical committee. Steroid users, rather than heroin injectors, were now the main clients of needle exchanges, the committee heard (risks of needle sharing e.g. hepatitis, HIV)
- Those who used anabolic steroids were often oblivious of the risks, which included acne, breast enlargement, sterility, liver tumors and hepatitis, the council chairman said. He added: “It can also make the testicles wither - which is probably not what the users want”
- UK ‘sleepwalking’ into addiction crisis as experts claim half a million young men hooked on steroids
- ‘Anabolic steroids are classified as a Class C drug, meaning they’re only available on prescription
- But that’s not what’s happening. Personal trainers have told ITV News how easy it is for people to get hold of the drugs through social media and online - and warned of the increasing number of young men doing just that…’
- Social media worsening male body image with idealised body type
