Morphological characterization of the female prostate (Skene's gland or paraurethral gland) of Lagostomus maximus maximus

Flamini, Mirta Alicia; Barbeito, Claudio Gustavo; Gimeno, Eduardo Juan; Portiansky, Enrique Leo

doi:10.1016/s0940-9602(02)80051-6

Cited by 35 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Either anatomically or histologically, the rodent female prostate is very similar to the male ventral prostate, and the homology of these lobes was also reported early in the literature (Korenchevsky, ; Brambell and Davis, ; Gross and Didio, , Flamini et al, ). As in males, the rodent female prostate is composed of glands surrounded by a fibromuscular stroma.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 56%

Female prostate: historical, developmental, and morphological perspectives

Biancardi

Santos

Carvalho

et al. 2017

Cell Biology International

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The female prostate was first described by Reijnier de Graaf in 1672, and even after several years this gland is still a matter of controversy. Part of this is because the biological function of this female gland is unclear. Moreover, when compared with the male prostate, the existence of this organ in females does not make sense, mainly when we consider that the major function of this gland is to produce a secretion that is responsible for guarantee the sperm survival and assure the reproductive success. However, even under a controversy field, we now have a lot of scientific information which enhances our knowledge of several important biological aspects of this gland. It is clear that this gland is found in some female mammals including humans, rodents, rabbits, bats, and dogs. Several studies with rodents showed that the female prostate is homolog of the male prostate, showing strong macroscopic and microscopic similarities with the ventral lobe of males. Besides these aspects, there are several studies reporting that diseases such as cysts, hyperplasia, and carcinoma may affect the female prostate. Therefore, although diseases involving the female prostate are rare, the susceptibility of this organ to develop lesions must be considered, especially in our recent years in which the exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals has greatly increased. Finally, further studies will be necessary to enhance our understanding about this gland, mainly of the developmental, evolutionary, and biological functions.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 56%

Female prostate: historical, developmental, and morphological perspectives

Biancardi

Santos

Carvalho

et al. 2017

Cell Biology International

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“…Fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells (thick arrows); epithelial cell nuclei (arrows). (Brambell and Davis, 1940;Mahoney and Witschi, 1947;Shehata, 1972Shehata, , 1975Shehata, , 1980Gross and Didio, 1987;Satoh et al, 2001;Flamini et al, 2002;Santos et al, 2003Santos et al, , 2007. In the gerbil Meriones unguiculatus, the prostate is found in $ 80% of the animals , a proportion very similar to that in human females (Zaviacic, 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testosterone Promotes an Anabolic Increase in the Rat Female Prostate (Skene's Paraurethral Gland) Which Acquires a Male Ventral Prostate Phenotype

Biancardi

Santos

Madi-Ravazzi

et al. 2010

The Anatomical Record

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The female prostate (Skene's paraurethral gland) in the rat is morphologically similar to the ventral lobe of male adults and has been described in other rodent species and humans. Previous studies on prostate morphogenesis suggest that female Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) do not develop this gland due to the absence of testosterone during the embryonic and neonatal periods. On the other hand, studies conducted in our laboratory have shown that some females of this species can present an undeveloped but functional prostate. Recent studies on this gland have caused scientific interest because, besides being active in the processes of synthesis and secretion of prostatic material, it is also targeted by both malignant and benign lesions, mainly during senescence. Thus, this work aims to evaluate the structure of female prostate of adult rats (Rattus norvegicus) under normal conditions and under the effect of testosterone treatment and carry out comparative studies on the ventral prostate of young and adult male rats. Morphological and morphometric stereological analyses and immunocytochemical and ultrastructural studies were conducted. The results have shown that the prostate gland of rats exposed to androgen therapy have experienced intense growth, becoming more active in relation to synthesis and secretion. It may be concluded that the prostate in control adult female rats is morphologically very similar to the prostatic ventral lobe of young male rats. Besides, under androgenic action, the female prostate grows considerably and becomes similar to the prostatic ventral lobe in male adults.

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“…Despite an increasing number of reports on the structural characteristics of the female prostate of different species [3][4][5][6][7][8], including humans [9,10], reference to this organ is still a matter of controversy among people dealing with women's health. Moreover, its small size led some authors to conclude that the female prostate is a vestigial gland [4,11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testosterone Stimulates Growth and Secretory Activity of the Female Prostate in the Adult Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)1

Santos¹,

Leite²,

Custódio³

et al. 2006

Biology of Reproduction

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The prostate of the female gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) is similar to the human female prostate (Skene gland) and, despite its reduced size, it is functional and shows secretory activity. However, virtually nothing is known about its physiological regulation. This study was thus undertaken to evaluate the behavior of the gerbil female prostate in a hyperandrogenic condition. Adult females received subcutaneous injections of testosterone cypionate (1 mg/kg body weight every 48 h) up to 21 days. Circulating levels of testosterone and estradiol were monitored, and the prostate and ovaries subjected to structural and immunocytochemical analyses. The treatment resulted in sustained high levels of circulating testosterone, and caused a transient increase in estradiol. There was an increase in epithelial cell proliferation accompanied by significant reorganization of the epithelium and an apparent reduction in secretory activity, followed by a progressive increase in luminal volume density and accumulation of secretory products. Immunocytochemistry identified the expression of androgen receptor and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-related antigen in prostatic epithelial cells. A circulating PSA-related antigen was also found, and its concentration showed strong negative correlation with circulating estrogen. Epithelial dysplasia was detected in the prostate of treated females. Analysis of the ovaries showed the occurrence of a polycystic condition and stromal cell hyperplasia. The results indicate that testosterone has a stimulatory effect on the female prostate, inducing epithelial cell proliferation, differentiation, secretory activity, and dysplasia. The results also suggest that prostatic growth and activity, polycystic ovaries, and ovarian stromal cell hyperplasia are related to a hyperandrogenic condition in females.

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Morphological characterization of the female prostate (Skene's gland or paraurethral gland) of Lagostomus maximus maximus

Cited by 35 publications

References 18 publications

Female prostate: historical, developmental, and morphological perspectives

Female prostate: historical, developmental, and morphological perspectives

Testosterone Promotes an Anabolic Increase in the Rat Female Prostate (Skene's Paraurethral Gland) Which Acquires a Male Ventral Prostate Phenotype

Testosterone Stimulates Growth and Secretory Activity of the Female Prostate in the Adult Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)1

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