Ultrastructural and analytical studies on the prostate of castrated rats

Abstract

Rat lateral and ventral prostate tissue was studied using ultrastructural and analytical techniques in adult animals castrated for periods of 3 to 20 days. As in previous reports involution of the prostatic epithelium following testosterone deprivation resulted in alterations of the amount, distribution, and conformation of the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, and lysosomes in addition to some nuclear changes. Although the fundamental changes were similar in both lobes there were specific effects on the individual lobes. Reductions in the subcellular levels of zinc were more pronounced in the lateral prostate, particularly with respect to the secretory and stromal concentrations of the metal. Despite low concentrations of circulating testosterone, secretory activity was still evident after a 20-day castration period and would appear to reflect a different sensitivity in the lateral lobe to the lowered testosterone level or stimulation by other hormones when compared to the ventral lobe. The significance of the subcellular distribution pattern of zinc during the experimental periods is discussed in relation to the possible functional significance of the metal in prostatic tissue.

Hormonal effects on zinc concentration and morphology of rat lateral prostate gland

“…The depletion of secretory granules in Hpx control animals occurred concomitantly with a reduction in zinc concentration. This finding is in keeping with the demonstration, by x-ray microanalysis of rat lateral lobe, that secretory granules are a principal location of zinc in acinar epithelial cells [45] and that following castration secretory granules contain less zinc content [32]. In the present study, testosterone administration to Hpx animals resulted in complete restoration of epithelial height and morphological characteristics, including increase of microvilli, RER cisternae, and secretory granules, in keeping with observations from other investigations of steroid administration to Hpx animals [44,46].…”

Ultrastructural and biochemical observations on the early changes in apoptotic epithelial cells of the rat prostate induced by castration

“…*P<0.05 within the postcastration prostatic epithelial cells in the present study. The formation of these cytoplasmic spherical bodies has not been described in detail before and has been ignored by most previous authors (Brandes and Groth 1963;Brandes 1966;Helminen and Ericsson 1971, 1972a, 1972bDahl and Kjaerheim 1973;Dahl 1976;Timms and Chandler 1983). Identical structures called apoptotic bodies containing micronuclei and phagocytosed by the migrating macrophages which appeared in rat ventral prostate 2 days after castration have been described by colleagues (1994 and.…”

Cell proliferation studies in rat prostate I. the proliferative role of basal and secretory epithelial cells during normal growth

“…2). Characteristic structural features of the basal cells [20,29] were the small supra-nuclear Golgi body, the presence of a single cilium, desmosomal contacts with adjacent cells (Fig. 2), and, along the basal membrane, micropynocytotic activity and hemi-desmosomal contacts with the basal lamina.…”

“…4). After these changes it became possible to identify the ventral and lateral lobe epithelium on the basis of previously described differences in their ultrastructure [5,20].…”