Inhibitory Effect of Astaxanthin on Testosterone-Induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Rats

This study investigates the inhibitory effect of astaxanthin (AST) on testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in rats. Except for the sham operation, BPH model rats were randomly assigned to five groups: the BPH model control rats, AST-treated BPH model rats (20 mg/kg, 40 mg/kg, and 80 mg/kg), and epristeride (EPR)-treated BPH model rats. After treatment, as compared with the BPH model control rats, the prostate and ventral prostate weights of the AST-treated rats decreased, while there was a marked decline in the 80 mg/kg AST-treated rats. The same effect was also observed in the prostate index and ventral prostate index. The proliferation characteristics of epithelia observed in the BPH model control group were gradually alleviated in the AST-treated rats. As compared with the BPH model control rats, lower epithelial thicknesses of prostates and fewer secretory granules in epithelia were observed in the AST-treated rats. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of prostates increased in all the AST-treated rats with a significant increase in the 40 mg/kg and 80 mg/kg AST-treated rats. The testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels of prostates in the AST-treated groups were lower than those in the BPH model control group, and a significant decline was found in the T level of prostates in the 40 g/kg and 80 mg/kg AST-treated rats and the DHT level of prostates in the 40 mg/kg AST-treated rats. These results indicate that AST might have an inhibitory effect on T-induced BPH in rats, possibly due to SOD activity regulation and T and DHT levels.

CHANGES IN LIPID PEROXIDATION IN THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS OF MALE RATS DUE TO THE TRANSPLACENTAL ACTION OF CHEMICAL ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS

In everyday life, people come into contact with chemical products that have hormone-like properties, for example, antiandrogenic (dibutyl phthalate, DBP) or estrogenic (bisphenol A, BPA). For a number of years, the issue of the potential harm of low doses of these endocrine disruptors (ED) for a developing fetus after entering the body of a pregnant mother has been discussed. Taking into consideration the ED ability to overcome the placental barrier, and the fact that one of the general mechanisms of the pathogenic effect of ED on humans and animals is oxidative stress, it is reasonable to study the state of lipid peroxidation (LPO) in the reproductive organs of adult male offspring, which was subjected to prenatal effects of low doses of DBP and BPA. The aim is to elucidate the prenatal effect of low doses of DBP and BPA on the content of LPO products in the ventral prostate (VP) and gonads of adult male rats. Material and methods. Wistar rats received orally an oil solution of DBP at 100 mg / kg bw. or BPA in Dorfman gel at 25 μg / kg bw per day from 15 to 21 days of pregnancy, control animals – carriers of drugs. In male offspring of 6 and 18 months of age, the contents of LPO products – malonic dialdehyde (MDA) and diene conjugates (DC) – were determined per mg of protein in the VP and testes. Results. In the testes of young rats prenatally exposed to DBP, the contents of both studied LPO products were significantly increased. The content of MDA in the VP of aging experimental rats exceeded 6 times, and DC – 1.5 times the values of control animals. The expression levels of MDA and DC in the testes of experimental animals increased by 134 % and 37 %, respectively. In the testes of 6-month-old rats exposed to BPA in utero, the contents of LPO products significantly increased in comparison with the control group: MDA by 155 %, DC – by 16 %. In the VP, the content of MDA significantly increased, DC did not differ from the control group. Conclusions. The result of oral administration of DBP to rats at a threshold dose relative to reproductive fetotoxicity during the last week of pregnancy is the activation of LPO in the testes of young and in the VP and testes of aging offspring. Oral administration of a subthreshold BPA dose to rats in the last week of pregnancy leads to the activation of LPO in the testes and the VP of young offspring. Key words: dibutyl phthalate, bisphenol A, prenatal action, lipid peroxidation, male rats, ventral prostate, testes.

Supplementation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and aerobic exercise improve functioning, morphology, and redox balance in prostate obese rats

The high-fat diet (HFD) stimulates an increase in lipids and can be prejudicial for harmful to prostatic morphogenesis. Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs) have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant action in some types of cancer. The combination of aerobic physical exercise and PUFA can be more effective and reduce the risk of death. The study evaluates the effects of aerobic physical exercise associated with omega-3 (fish and chia oils), on the ventral prostate of Wistar rats those fed with HFD. Here, we report that HFD modified the final body weight and the weight gain, decreased the expression of the androgen receptor and increased prostatic inflammation via TNF-α produced damage prostatic like intraepithelial neoplasia. The supplementation with fish oil decreases final body weight, reduced BCL-2 and inflammation compared to chia oil; aerobic physical exercise associated with fish oil reduced lipids circulant and prostatic, increased proteins pro-apoptotic expression and reduced IL-6 (p < 0.0001) and TNF-α potentiating the CAT (p = 0.03) and SOD-1 (p = 0.001) expression. Additionally, the chia oil increased the NRF-2 (p < 0.0001) and GSS (p = 0.4) genes. PUFAs reduced the damage caused by excessive high-fat diet in the prostate so that there is greater effectiveness in omega-3 intake, it is necessary to associate with aerobic physical exercise.

Physical Exercise Mitigates the Disturbs Caused in Ventral Prostate by High Fat Diet, Clarifying the Role of PPAR-Alpha

Body fat resulting from the consumption of fatty foods develops inflammation, a precursor to obesity, diabetes mellitus and prostatic diseases, causing tissue changes. On the other hand, aerobic physical exercise in conjunction with PPARα promotes an increase in energy expenditure, modulating cellular metabolism by altering prostate cell metabolism. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of the gene transcription factor PPARα as a prostatic regulator associated with the effects of aerobic physical exercise in mice fed to a high-fat diet. Wild Type and PPARα -/- mice (C57BL/6J) were fed a high-fat diet and submitted to aerobic physical training for 8 weeks. Prostates of male mice were analyzed histologically and metabolically for PIN progression. These findings suggest that the absence of PPARα reduces adiposity and but does not modify the expression AR and GR, up-regulate prostate inflammation, and suppresses Fas (CD95/Apo-1) increase in TNF-α, induced by prostatic lesions. On the other hand, aerobic physical exercise was effective in protecting prostatic damage induced by a high-fat diet, both in wild type and in PPARα-/- animals. The absence PPARα induces an inflammatory process and prostatic changes and associated with a high-fat diet, however, these inflammatory processes induce increased apoptosis and may further inhibit cell growth associated with physical exercise.

Chronic effects of short-term aerobic and anaerobic physical training on the ventral prostate of adult rats

ABSTRACTAimsTo analyze the chronic effects of short-term aerobic and anaerobic physical training on prostate compartments, extracellular matrix, microvascularization, TGFβ, cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and macrophage immunostaining, and ventral prostate histopathology in adult rats.Main methodsFifteen male rats (90 days old) were divided into three groups (n = 5/group): sedentary, aerobic (AE) (swimming), and anaerobic physical training (AN) (jumping), performed three days per week, for 8-weeks. The animals were sacrificed within 21 weeks of age. The ventral prostate was collected, weighed, and processed for histological and immunohistochemical analyses.Key findingsOur results show that AE increases blood capillaries and reduces the percentage and increases the thickness of smooth muscle. AN promotes increased iNOS levels in the prostatic tissue, and both modalities reduce TGFβ and elastic fibers, in addition to being protective against benign prostatic hyperplasia and atrophy.SignificanceDifferent physical training modalities can activate specific mechanisms that modify the prostate environment.

The Effects of Long-Term Immunosuppressive Therapies on the Structure of the Rat Prostate

Background: Little is known about the overall impact of immunosuppressive drugs on the prostate. The study aimed to determine the impact of different protocols of immunosuppressive treatment on the structure of the rat ventral prostate. Methods: For 6 months, 48 male Wistar rats received immunosuppressive drugs: cyclosporin A, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, rapamycin, and prednisone, according to three-drug protocols. Light and transmission electron microscopic studies, and quantitative evaluation of immunohistochemical expression of selected intermediate filaments, CD117+ mast cells, and CD138+ plasma cells were performed in the rat ventral prostate. Results: In all experimental groups, acini focal hyperplasia, changes to the ultrastructure of the glandular epithelium, changes in the expression of cytokeratins and desmin, and numerous mast and plasma cells in the prostate stroma were found. In cyclosporine-A-based groups, atrophy and numerous intracellular vacuoles were observed. In groups where a three-drug treatment was replaced with rapamycin, morphological alterations were less severe compared to those without conversion. Conclusions: In the rat ventral prostate, (1) immunosuppressive protocols affect the morphology and immunohistochemical expression of intermediate filaments, (2) morphological alterations, expression, and localization of selected proteins are not connected with adenocarcinoma development, and (3) conversion of the treatment to rapamycin may prevent hyperplastic abnormalities.