Stimulation of collagen synthesis by the anabolic steroid stanozolol.

J Invest Dermatol. 1998 Dec;111(6):1193-7.

Stimulation of collagen synthesis by the anabolic steroid stanozolol.

Falanga V, Greenberg AS, Zhou L, Ochoa SM, Roberts AB, Falabella A, Yamaguchi Y.

University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Miami Veterans
Affairs Medical Center, Florida, USA.

There is evidence that anabolic steroids, which are derived from testosterone and
have markedly less androgenic activity, promote tissue growth and enhance tissue
repair; however, the mechanisms involved in their anabolic activities remain
unclear. In this report, we measured the effect of the anabolic steroid
stanozolol on cell replication and collagen synthesis in cultures of adult human
dermal fibroblasts. Stanozolol (0.625-5 microg per ml) had no effect on
fibroblast replication and cell viability (p = 0.764) but enhanced collagen
synthesis (p < 0.01) in a dose-dependent manner (r = 0.907). Stanozolol also
increased (by 2-fold) the mRNA levels of alpha1 (I) and alpha1 (III) procollagen
and, to a similar extent, upregulated transforming growth factor-beta1
(TGF-beta1) mRNA and peptide levels (p < 0.001). There was no stimulation of
collagen synthesis by testosterone. The stimulatory effects of stanozolol on
collagen synthesis were blocked by a TGF-beta1 anti-sense oligonucleotide, by
antibodies to TGF-beta, and in dermal fibroblast cultures derived from TGF-beta1
knockout mice. We conclude that collagen synthesis is increased by the anabolic
steroid stanozolol and that, for the most part, this effect is due to TGF-beta1.
These findings point to a novel mechanism of action of anabolic steroids