Diminished cholesterol efflux mediated by HDL and coronary artery disease in young male anabolic androgenic steroid users / Francis Ribeiro de Souza, Marcelo Rodrigues Dos Santos, Rafael Armani Porello, Guilherme Wesley Peixoto da Fonseca, Ana Luiza Carrari Sayegh, Thaís Pinheiro Lima, Fabiana Dias Ferreira, Tiago Franco de Oliveira, Maurício Yonamine, Liliam Takayama, Rosa Maria Rodrigues Pereira, Carlos Eduardo Negrão, Marisa Passarelli, Carlos Eduardo Rochitte, Maria Janieire de Nazaré Nunes Alves. - (Atherosclerosis (2019) 283 (April); p. 100-105).
- PMID: 30826541.
- DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2019.02.006
Abstract:
BACKGROUND AND AIMS:
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) have been associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). AAS abuse leads to a remarkable decrease in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) plasma concentration, which could be a key factor in the atherosclerotic process. Moreover, not only the concentration of HDL, but also its functionality, plays a pivotal role in CAD. We tested the functionality of HDL by cholesterol efflux and antioxidant capacity. We also evaluated the prevalence of CAD in AAS users.
METHODS:
Twenty strength-trained AAS users (AASU) age 29 ± 5 yr, 20 age-matched strength-trained AAS nonusers (AASNU), and 10 sedentary controls (SC) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Functionality of HDL was evaluated by 14C-cholesterol efflux and the ability of HDL in inhibiting LDL oxidation. Coronary artery was evaluated with coronary computed tomography angiography.
RESULTS:
Cholesterol efflux was lower in AASU compared with AASNU and SC (20 vs. 23 vs. 24%, respectively, p < 0.001). However, the lag time for LDL oxidation was higher in AASU compared with AASNU and SC (41 vs 13 vs 11 min, respectively, p < 0.001). We found at least 2 coronary arteries with plaques in 25% of AASU. None of the AASNU and SC had plaques. The time of AAS use was negatively associated with cholesterol efflux.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study indicates that AAS abuse impairs the cholesterol efflux mediated by HDL. Long-term AAS use seems to be correlated with lower cholesterol efflux and early subclinical CAD in this population.
