Reduced Plakoglobin Increases the Risk of Sodium Current Defects and Atrial Conduction Abnormalities in Response to Androgenic Anabolic Steroid Abuse

The study examines the effects of androgenic anabolic steroid (AAS) abuse, specifically 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), on atrial conduction abnormalities in mice with reduced plakoglobin, a protein linked to arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). It finds that chronic DHT exposure in these mice leads to atrial electrical remodeling, including prolonged PR intervals and P wave durations, due to reduced sodium channel availability. This suggests that plakoglobin deficiency exacerbates the adverse cardiac effects of steroid abuse, increasing the risk of arrhythmias. The study highlights the potential cardiac risks of AAS abuse, especially in individuals with genetic predispositions like ARVC, and underscores the need for further research on desmosomal gene defects in steroid users with atrial arrhythmias.