We studied the dependence of water exchange in various human tissues (skin, Achilles tendon, various types of hyaline cartilage, muscle, and muscle fascia) on the content of collagen and proteoglycans. Carbohydrates of the connective tissue do not play the major role in tissue water exchange. Collagen fibers and proteoglycan aggregates probably retain the main part of bound and free water, respectively.
The natural agent deltostim is a mixture of furanostanol steroid glycosides characterized by a high anabolic and a low androgenic activities. In doses of 5-30 mg/kg it stimulates the production of proteins and nucleic acids in the skeletal and cardiac muscles. These doses do not suppress biopolymer production in the liver, which indicates that the agent is not toxic for animals.
Key Words: steroid glycosides; anabolic activity; RNA, DNA, globular, and fibrillar protein productionThe use of synthetic anabolics for the treatment of many diseases, for improving adaptation to exercise in athletics, and for body weight gain in animals in agriculture is associated with many untoward effects because besides anabolic these agents possess androgenic activity [5]. Recent studies have been focused on agents of plant origin exerting no direct androgenic effects, stimulating protein production, and activating some enzymes involved in energy metabolism [3]. For example, steroid glycosides are widespectrum biostimulators which were isolated from many plants.Deltostim ( We studied the anabolic activity of DS and the main mechanisms underlying this activity: protein and nucleic acid production in animal tissues (skeletal and cardiac muscles and liver).
MATERIALS AND METHODSExperiments were carried out on 3-week-old castrated male rats initially weighing 40-60 g. The animals were castrated under light ether narcosis as described previously [41. The rats were fed the standard diets. All agents were dissolved in normal saline and injected intramuscularly in a single dose of 0.5 ml for 7 days starting from the day of castration. In the first series of experiments, the anabolic properties of DS were studied. The rats were divided into 6 groups, 5 animals per group: 1) controls injected with normal saline; 2) DS in a total (injected for 7 days) dose of 5 mg/kg; 3) 10 mg/kg DS; 4) 30 mg kg DS; 5) 190 mg/kg DS; and 6) 35 mg/kg testosterone propionate. On the 8th day, 24 h after the last injection, anabolic effect of DS was assessed by changes in body weight. For integral assessment of anabolic properties of the drug, the anabolic index was calculated as the ratio of myotropic activity (increment in the weight of m. levator ani, MLA) to androgenic activity (increment in the 0007-4888/98/0008-0800520.00 ~ Kluwer Academic/Ph!num Publishors
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