Today's athletes and body-builders are using pro-hormones to increase their performance. There are endless types and brands of these anabolic supplements, each of which makes claims to increase testosterone production and ultimately build muscle. To date there is little known about the effects connected with the use of androgenic supplements. Even if these supplements do indeed enhance athletic ability there is still the possibility of side effects, such as liver or prostate cancer, that would render them more harmful than useful. This study has been designed to look into the effects of one of these androgenic supplements, 5-androstenediol. To do so we administered 5-androstenediol to a human liver cell line, and a human testosterone responsive prostate cell line and examined its effects on cell morphology and proliferation. Through our results we have gained a better understanding of the effects of androgenic supplements at the cellular level.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Nolan, James Martin

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 02D525M

Advisor

• Rulfs, Jill
• Robakiewicz, Philip E.

Year

• 2002

Date created

• 2002-01-01

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biology & Biotechnology

Rights statement

• In Copyright