Obsessed with baseball, yes, but like with many sports there is always controversy surrounding the use of anabolic steroids for performance enhancement. It’s these controversies that make the start of the season all the more interesting.
On that note, it brings me to an interesting article I had read recently: “Detrimental effects of anabolic steroids on human endothelial cells” (Ascenzo et al 2007). As I write this blog entry, I realized that we haven’t really covered endothelial cells yet in class, however if you follow chapter 22 of our textbook, you will come across endothelial cells in your readings.
Simply put, endothelial cells are important. Why are they so important? Well as we all know almost all tissues depend on blood supply and conversely, this blood supply depends of endothelial cells which ultimately form the lining of our blood vessels. These cells are quite adaptable - they extend and remodel the network of blood vessels, and tissue growth, and if it were not for this adaptability, repairing these vessels and tissues would be virtually impossible.
This now brings me to my paper. Ascenzo et al’s (2007) main focus of this paper was to investigate the effects in vitro induced by androgenic anabolic steroids (AAS) on the proliferation ability, apoptosis, and intracellular Ca2+ concentrations on umbilical endothelial cells.
Today, many think that the adverse health effects are ‘by chance’ associated with the use of androgenic anabolic steroids. However, there is an increase risk of cardiovascular complications such as cardiomyopathy, lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterols, and an increased predisposition of other vasculature diseases (Ascenzo et al 2007). It was found that exposure of AAS to the endothelial cells, the principal cell constituents of the vasculature networks, alters endothelial cell growth with a strong antiproliferative effect, induces apoptosis, and modifies intracellular levels of calcium (Ascenzo et al 2007). With these findings, it is no wonder that there is a strong link between vascular damage and androgenic anabolic steroids.
What does all this mean?
For starters, it shows some of the extreme effects androgenic anabolic steroids have on its users. One dangerous thing about it is that all our vasculature is internal; therefore these users are not seeing any immediate effects these drugs are doing to their bodies. So I guess the professional athletes should get their acts together, and if they have to rely on these steroids to improve their game, they shouldn’t be playing – The main reason why… they are role models to millions of aspiring athletes who would do anything to follow in these professional athletes footsteps.
That’s all I will be ranting about now….
- K-Lynn H
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