Impairment of hepatic Bromsulphalein clearance by two 17-substituted testosterones

Two 17-substituted testosterones in common clinical use (methyltestosterone and norethandrolone), administered orally in doses ranging from 20 to 100 mg. per day, have been observed to produce marked elevations in 45-minute BSP retention and corresponding reductions in BSP clearance in all subjects treated with these agents. These effects were not observed with testosterone propionate at either equimolecular or equivalent anabolic doses. The BSP changes were unaccompanied by clinical jaundice, or by alterations in any of several common laboratory indices of liver function. Maximum depression of serum BSP clearance occurred within 7 to 10 days after starting therapy, and conversely normal clearance was usually restored within a similar period after stopping treatment. Indirect evidence indicates that the defect involves the hepatic excretory mechanism rather than liver dye uptake. The significance of this change is uncertain, but it is presumed not to represent liver damage.