Stereological study of the effects of nandrolone decanoate on the rat prostate.

It has been shown that nandrolone decanoate which is one of the anabolic-androgenic steroid compounds changes the testis structure and sperm quality but quantitative studies of the prostate have received less attention. Control rats received the peanut oil and experimental group received nandrolone decanoate for 14 weeks. Then the rats were left untreated for 14 weeks. After 14 weeks of withdrawal, the prostate was studied using stereological methods. The mean prostate weight decreased approximately 39% (p<0.009) in nandrolone decanoate treated rats. The mean total prostate volume, glands, epithelia, fluids and collagen bundles reduced approximately 30% (p<0.03), approximately 31% (p<0.03), approximately 41% (p<0.02), approximately 31% (p<0.05) and approximately 59.5% (p<0.02) in the experimental group. The mean total luminal surface of the glands and total length of the vessels decreased approximately 40% (p<0.02) and approximately 46% (p<0.009), respectively, in the nandrolone decanoate treated rats. The height of epithelium did show no difference. It can be concluded that nandrolone decanoate causes atrophic changes in the components of rat prostate.