uPA+/+-SCID Mouse with Humanized Liver as a Model for In Vivo Metabolism of Exogenous Steroids: Methandienone as a Case Study

Abstract
Background: Adequate detection of designer steroids in the urine of athletes is still a challenge in doping control analysis and requires knowledge of steroid metabolism. In this study we investigated whether uPA+/+-SCID mice carrying functional primary human hepatocytes in their liver would provide a suitable alternative small animal model for the investigation of human steroid metabolism in vivo.