The Effect of Eight Weeks of Resistance Training and Testosterone Enanthate Consumption on TNF- and IL-6 Genes’ Expression in the Kidney Tissue of Female Wistar Rats

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of testosterone enanthate anabolic steroid on the gene expression of inflammatory factors in the kidney tissue of female rats following eight weeks of resistance training.

Twenty-one female Wistar rats weighing 200 ± 20 g, aged eight weeks, were prepared from the Iran Pasture Institute. Following a week for acclimatization, the rats were randomly divided into three groups: control (n = 7), training + placebo (n = 6), and training + testosterone enanthate (n = 8). Resistance training included five days a week of climbing a 1-meter ladder with 26 stairs while bearing weights and two days of rest. In the first week, the weights were equal to 40% of the rats’ body weight. In the following weeks, the weight was increased by 20% per week. The rats were weighed two times a week. In the testosterone group, the rats were injected with 20 mg of testosterone enanthate thrice a week. Forty-eight hours following the last training session and testosterone injection, kidney tissue samples were collected to determine the gene expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-) using real-time PCR.

The results showed that testosterone consumption significantly increased the gene expression of TNF-and IL-6 in female rats undergoing testosterone and resistance training (P = 0.001).

The findings of this study demonstrated that using testosterone increased inflammatory factors in the kidney tissue of female Wistar rats.