Effect of mazindol on dystrophic mice and on growth in young rats

1. Mazindol, which has been proposed as a therapy for muscular dystrophy because of a suppression of growth hormone release was administered orally (0.1 mg/kg body wt/day) for approximately six weeks to healthy young rats and dystrophic mice. 2. Mazindol had no effect on the dystrophic mice. 3. Mazindol treated rats had reduced wt gain, but this effect was due to appetite suppression not growth hormone inhibition. 4. No effect of mazindol was seen on rat muscle, but there were significant increases in liver, heart and kidney wts compared to controls.