Introduction: The risk of cardiotoxicity is associated with the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids and analgesics, several deaths were attributed to such medications.
Objectives: This study investigates the effects of boldenone (BOLD) and tramadol (TRAM) alone or in combination on the heart.
Material and methods: Forty adult male rats were divided into four groups. Normal control group, BOLD (5 mg/kg, i.m.) per week, tramadol Hcl (TRAM) (20 mg/kg, i.p.) daily and a combination of BOLD (5 mg/kg) and TRAM (20 mg/kg), respectively for two months. Serum and cardiac tissue were extracted for determination of serum, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and lipid profiles, tissue malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), nitric oxide (NO), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and histopathological examination. Troponin I gene expression was quantified in cardiac tissue using real-time polymerase chain reaction technique.
Results: Groups received BOLD and TRAM alone and in combination showed elevated serum biochemical parameters (AST, CPK) and deviations in lipid profiles, elevation in oxidative and inflammatory parameters (MDA, NO, TNF-α and IL-6), and decrease in GSH and SOD, up-regulated cardiac troponin I as well as distorted cardiac histopathological pictures.
Conclusion: The current study elucidated the risk of administration of these drugs for sustained periods as well as the marked detrimental effects of using these drugs in combination.
Keywords: Boldenone; cardiotoxicity; rats; tramadol; troponin I.