ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Salbutamol exhibits androgenic activity in vitro

André O von Bueren, Risheng Ma, Margret Schlumpf, Walter Lichtensteiger

Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Switzerland

André O von Bueren, University Children’s Hospital, Steinwiesstrasse 75, CH-8032 Zurich, Switzerland; Andre.vonBueren{at}kispi.uzh.ch

Background: Salbutamol has been shown to mediate anabolic effects after intravenous administration. However, the mechanism responsible for the anabolic actions of salbutamol remains unknown.

Aim: To investigate the potential mechanism by which salbutamol mediates anabolic effects in vitro.

Methods: The potential androgenic activity of salbutamol was investigated in vitro by the A-Screen assay that measures androgen-dependent inhibition of proliferation of the androgen receptor (AR)-positive human mammary carcinoma cell line, MCF7-AR1.

Results: The assay was validated with three known androgens; methyltrienolone (R1881), 5-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and danazol. IC₅₀ values of R1881, DHT and danazol, 4.41x10^–11, 4.44x10^–11 and 1.08x10^–8 M, respectively, were in the ranges known from earlier studies. Our results demonstrate that salbutamol exhibits androgenic activity, with an IC₅₀ value of 8.93x10^–6 M. Anti-estrogenic or cytotoxic effects, which might have interfered with the assay, were excluded by additional experiments on wild-type MCF7 and MCF7-AR1 cells, respectively.

Conclusion: These data indicate that salbutamol exerts anabolic effects through androgen receptor agonistic activity in vitro.

Abbreviations: AR, androgen receptor; CD-FBS, charcoal–dextran treated foetal bovine serum; DHT, 5-dihydrotestosterone; OD, optical density; SRB, sulforhodamine B; TCA, trichloroacetic acid

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