A Study on The effect of Testosterone on Liver and Kidney functions of Male Rabbits

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of two supraphysiological doses of testosterone on the liver and kidney functions of male rabbits. Fifteen (15) adult male rabbits were divided into 3 groups: a control group (received 100 µl sesame oil), a low dose group (received 6 mg testosterone/kg body weight), and a high dose group (received 12 mg testosterone/kg body weight). The rabbits were injected intramuscularly once a week for 6 weeks.  After the end of the treatment period, the rabbits were sacrificed and blood samples were collected for analysis. Injection of testosterone resulted in a significant increase in the level of this hormone in the sera of the treated rabbits. The hormone caused increases in the levels of the liver function enzymes with the increase in dose; however, only the high dose caused statistically significant increases. Similar trend was observed with the effect of the hormone on the concentrations of creatinine and urea, where only the high dose had a statistically significant effect. These results clearly indicate that the use of this  hormone with high doses for long periods could cause damage to the liver and kidney.