Female prostate and urethral glands in the home rat, Rattus norvegicus

Shehata, Ramzy

doi:10.1159/000145252

Cited by 30 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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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%

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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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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The prostate gland is not an organ exclusive to the male reproductive system as it has been found in females of some mammalian species including some rodents (Mahoney and Witschi, 1947;Price, 1963;Shehata, 1972Shehata, , 1980 and humans (Zaviacic, 1999). The female prostate, historically know as Skene's gland, is located around the urethra at the bladder base.…”

mentioning

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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“…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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“…Briefly described before in ranch mink [2], the urethral glands from which the cysts arise must be distinguished from the glandular tissue that forms the female prostate found in several species of small rodents [3,12,19,22), but not in mink. Both have been called periurethral glands, which may lead to confusion [22).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The female prostate, considered the homologue of the ventral lobes of the male prostate, lies outside the urethral wall at the neck of the urinary bladder. Urethral glands like those in female mink have been described in the hamster [IO] and in several species of rats, mice, and gerbils [ 18,19), but not in the common domestic animals [4,15). They have been mentioned in several species of nonhuman primates [17] and are present in women (7).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Common Occurrence of Urethral Cysts in Older Female Ranch Mink

Hadlow

Race

1981

Vet Pathol

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Abstract. Cysts were found often in the proximal urethra of female sapphire and pastel mink, Mustela vison, examined at necropsy during studies on slow viral diseases. Their prevalence, the same in both color phases, was age-dependent. They occurred in less than 2% of females under 2 years old but in more than 60% of those over 7 years old. The cysts varied from ovoid vesicles 3 to 4 mm long to multilocular masses 10 to 15 mm across that greatly distended the proximal urethra and sometimes occluded it. Small cysts were not accompanied by clinical signs, but large ones often caused persistent urinary incontinence and occasionally, urine retention. The cysts contained fluid that varied from water-clear to dull yellow. They arose by expansion of small urethral glands normally present in female mink and destroyed much of the urethral wall by pressure atrophy. Although the cysts became larger and more prevalent as the mink aged, the stimulus that caused them to form was not apparent. They appear to have no counterpart in other animals.

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Female prostate and urethral glands in the home rat, Rattus norvegicus

Abstract: A female prostate related to the upper end of the urethra and neck of the bladder is reported. The glandular acini are lined by cubical or low columnar epithelium and contain esosinophilic secretion. Urethral glands are also found in the wall of the female urethra.

Cited by 30 publications

References 2 publications

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

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

Common Occurrence of Urethral Cysts in Older Female Ranch Mink

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