Effects of testosterone enanthate and resistance training on myocardium in Wistar rats; clinical and anatomical pathology

This study was performed to determine the effects of 8weeks testosterone enanthate (TE) injection and resistance training (RT) on cardiac muscle in male Wistar rats. A total of 28 male adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups; control+placebo, RT+placebo, TE and TE+RT. Testosterone enanthate (20mg/kg BW, IM) and placebo (olive oil; 0.2ml, IM) were injected twice a week for 2months. The RT consisted of climbing (5 reps/3 sets) a ladder carrying a load suspended from the tail. The serum activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) and serum level of creatinine, urea and cardiac troponin I (CTnI) were evaluated. After sacrifice, samples from myocardial muscle were collected for histopathology evaluation. The serum concentration of CTnI and CK-MB activity significantly increased in group RT compared with control (p<.05). In group RT+TE, all biomarkers of muscle damage (CTnI, CK-MB, AST, LDH) were significantly more than those in control (p<.05). Also, mild myocardial hypertrophy was observed in RT and RT+TE groups. The higher level of all heart damage biomarkers in the RT+TE group rather than control may indicate the synergistic effects of medication and exercise.