The differential responses of human skin and synovial fibroblasts to stanozolol in vitro: production of prostaglandin E2 and matrix metalloproteinases.

Agents Actions. 1992 Mar;35(3-4):232-7.

The differential responses of human skin and synovial fibroblasts to stanozolol
in vitro: production of prostaglandin E2 and matrix metalloproteinases.

Ellis AJ, Wright JK, Cawston TE, Hazleman BL.

Rheumatology Research Unit, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, U.K.

The anabolic steroid, stanozolol, is used therapeutically to treat a number of
pathological conditions and its clinical effects suggest that it can modulate
connective tissue breakdown. The ability of this compound to stimulate
prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), collagenase, gelatinase and stromelysin production by
human synovial and skin fibroblasts in vitro was examined. The results showed
that stanozolol significantly stimulated, in a dose dependent manner, PGE2,
collagenase and stromelysin production by skin fibroblasts. However, no
stimulation was seen in the synovial cell lines. In contrast, no effect on
gelatinase production was seen in either cell type, following exposure to
stanozolol. The synovial and skin lines both exhibited a significant stimulation
of PGE2 and all three metalloproteinases in response to interleukin-1 beta (IL-1
beta). The anabolic steroids nortestosterone and oxymetholone demonstrated no
ability to stimulate PGE2 or collagenase production in either skin or synovial
fibroblasts. These results suggest that stanozolol exerts differential effects on
skin and synovial fibroblasts in vitro which may enable the elucidation of the
mechanism of action of the compound in vivo.