Cellular and extracellular behavior in the gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) ventral prostate following different types of castration and the consequences of testosterone replacement

Abstract

Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) were grouped into two experimental groups: GEx.01 suffered orchiectomy and after 30 days received doses of testosterone cipionate (T), while GEx.02 received weekly and alternated doses of the anti-androgens cyproterone acetate and flutamide for 30 days, and the animals were then euthanized. Structural evaluation reveals a more intense reduction in epithelial height in GEx.02. Smooth muscle cells (SMC) presented a star-shaped aspect after 30 days of hormonal ablation and basal membrane was shown to be more intensely grooved in GEx.01. In both groups, after hormonal replacement, recovery in epithelial height could be noted and the SMC presented its phenotypes, but an increase in RER was seen, characterizing a modulation from its contractile to secreting phenotype. In conclusion, the prostate presented involution capacity after androgen ablation and the ability to reorganize after hormonal replacement, but events resulting from orchiectomy and subsequent T replacement were shown to be more aggressive to the prostate.

Lobe Identity in the Mongolian Gerbil Prostatic Complex: A New Rodent Model for Prostate Study

“…Thus it is important to emphasize that each prostate lobe of the gerbil is enclosed by a delicate capsule of mesothelial cells and, although in older animals part of the DLL can be next to the VL and the cranial part of the DL can be next to the DLL, a complete fusion of lobes was not observed in this animal as well as for the rodents mentioned above. Then, our previous observations of an apparent higher degree of similarity between the human and gerbil prostate on the basis of a compactness of lobes (Corradi et al, 2004;Pegorin de Campos et al, 2006;Oliveira et al, 2007) is no longer supported.…”

“…The Mongolian gerbil is a small rodent of the Muridae family, subfamily Gerbillinae, that has been increasingly used as an experimental model in studies concerning male histophysiology (Corradi et al, 2004;Góes et al, 2007;Oliveira et al, 2007) and female prostate (Santos et al, 2003;Custódio et al. 2004;.…”

“…2004;. As mentioned previously, the investigations on the male prostate in gerbil are focused on the ventral lobe (Corradi et al, 2004;Oliveira et al, 2007). A report on the relationship between prostatic ducts and the pelvic urethra is also available (Pinheiro et al, 2003).…”

“…This emphasis on the ventral lobe has also been observed on the Mongolian gerbil Meriones unguiculatus (Corradi et al, 2004;Pegorin de Campos et al, 2006;Oliveira et al, 2007), a small rodent that has been widely used in studies of the prostate, in the males and females comparatively (Custódio et al, 2004;Santos et al, 2003.…”

Modulação androgênica e estrogênica na próstata: uma abordagem em modelos experimentais de roedores com enfoque na biologia estrutural

“…Portanto, o nível de semelhança entre a resposta prostática à castração quími-ca e à cirúrgica não era claro. Na tentativa de elucidar esse aspecto e fornecer assim maiores subsídios para a compreensão do impacto dos antiandrógenos sobre a próstata, foi realizada a série de estudos, pelo presente grupo de pesquisa, com o objetivo de melhor caracterizar as alterações epiteliais e nos componentes fibrosos do estroma prostático diante de diferentes tratamentos antiandrogênicos (30)(31)(32)(33)(34).…”