Background: This study aimed at investigating the effect of boldenone, and endurance and resistance training on liver damage in rats.
Materials and Methods: In this study, 70 male Wistar rats aged 12 weeks (weight, 228±7 g) were randomly divided into 10 equal groups: control, sham, boldenone (2 mg/kg), boldenone (5 mg/kg), resistance training, resistance training-boldenone (2 mg/kg), resistance training-boldenone (5 mg/kg), endurance training, endurance training-boldenone (2 mg/kg) and endurance training-boldenone (5 mg/kg) groups. The resistance training program included an 8-week climb from the ladder, three times a week and each session 3 sets with 5 repetitions and the endurance training program was 8-week running on treadmills, 3 days a week, every day 30 minutes at a speed of 12 meters per minute. The injection was performed in the biceps femoris muscle once a week. After anesthesia, autopsy was performed and the liver tissue was isolated for histological studies.
Results: The most liver tissue damage was observed in the boldenone group without training; so that the vacuolar degeneration more than 66% and the presence of 1-3 necrotic cells was very important. In resistance training and high-dose boldenone resistance training, liver damage was also observed as vacuolar degeneration. In the endurance training-boldenone inflammation group, increased kupffer cells and mild vacuolar degeneration were observed. Histological studies showed that endurance training reduced the vacuolar degeneration and inflammation and did not increase kupffer cells.
Conclusion: It seems that boldenone can cause damage to liver and endurance training compared with resistance training may cause more reduction in liver damage, especially reduction in the vacuolar degeneration and inflammation induced by boldenone.