Female prostate in &lt;i&gt;Arvicanthis niloticus&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Meriones libycus&lt;/i&gt;

Shehata, Ramzy

doi:10.1159/000144465

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

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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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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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“…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%

“…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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“…He also described that gland in Arvicanthis niloticus and Meriones tibycus [Shehata, 1975] and noticed its absence in other species of rats and mice. Urethral glands in the wall of the female urethra, on the other hand, were widely distributed in rats, mice and closely related rodents [Shehata, 1974], A question arose about the presence or absence of these two structures in the home rat Rattus norvegicus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%