Salbutamol exhibits androgenic activity in vitro.

Abstract

Salbutamol has been shown to mediate anabolic effects after intravenous administration. However, the mechanism responsible for the anabolic actions of salbutamol remains unknown. To investigate the potential mechanism by which salbutamol mediates anabolic effects in vitro. 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. The assay was validated with three known androgens; methyltrienolone (R1881), 5alpha-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. These data indicate that salbutamol exerts anabolic effects through androgen receptor agonistic activity in vitro.