Volume 29, Issue 161, July 2025

Hepatotoxicity Associated with Anabolic Androgenic Steroids and Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators: A Literature Review

Przemysław Kwiatka¹, Marta Borecka^1♦, Karolina Hanusz¹, Anna Bieda², Arkadiusz Zaremba³, Karolina Stachyra⁴, Julia Beata Krasnodębska⁵, Mateusz Leśniewski⁵, Michał Kluska⁶, Maciej Wyskok⁷

¹National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, Warsaw, Poland
²Masovian Bródnowski Hospital, Warsaw, Poland
³Scanmed Rudolf Weigl Hospital in Blachownia, Blachownia, Poland
⁴1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
⁵Czerniakowski Hospital, Stępińska 19/25, 00-739 Warsaw, Poland
⁶Samodzielny Publiczny Szpital Kliniczny im. prof. W. Orłowskiego CMKP, Czerniakowska 231, 00-416 Warsaw, Poland
⁷Academy of Silesia, Rolna 43, 40-555 Katowice, Poland

^♦Corresponding author
Marta Borecka, National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, Warsaw, Poland

ABSTRACT

Nowadays, the misuse of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) and selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) is becoming a growing concern. People are using AASs and SARMs to enhance physical performance and muscle mass. Testosterone derivatives are particularly prevalent among bodybuilders and young male athletes. These substances are easy to buy, and some have been even found in over-the-counter dietary supplements. The wide availability has led to off-label use of AASs and SARMs. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the most recent studies on the hepatotoxic effects of AASs and SARMs including direct hepatocellular damage, acute cholestatic syndrome, peliosis hepatis, and development of benign and malignant liver tumors, predominantly hepatic adenomas and HCC.

Keywords: Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, Androgenic-Anabolic Steroids, Hepatotoxicity, Drug-Induced Liver Injury, Hepatocellular carcinoma

Medical Science, 2025, 29, e100ms3584

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v29i161.e100ms3584

Published: 07 July 2025