The effect of the anabolic steroid, stanozolol, on the production of procollagenase by human synovial and skin fibroblasts in vitro.

The ability of the anabolic steroid, stanozolol, to stimulate procollagenase production by human synovial and skin fibroblasts was examined in an in vitro assay system. Stanozolol is used therapeutically to treat a variety of connective tissue and vascular disorders and its clinical effects suggest that it can modulate connective tissue breakdown. The results showed that stanozolol was capable, in a dose dependent manner, of significantly stimulating procollagenase production by skin fibroblasts. However, in three synovial fibroblast lines no evidence was found of increased collagenase production following treatment with stanozolol; although the synovial fibroblasts secreted significantly increased amounts of procollagenase in response to IL-1. These results may shed some light on the mechanism of action in vivo of stanozolol in the treatment of connective tissue disorders.