Chronic cadmium exposure: morphological, morphometric and cytochemical changes in the rat ventral and dorsal prostates

• Grant number: 09/18310-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2010
• End date: January 31, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Histology
• Principal Investigator: Sérgio Luis Felisbino
• Grantee: Eliza Maria Rodrigues Fortes Almeida
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The adverse effects of the cadmium, an environmental heavy metal contaminant, on human prostate gland and in the experimental animals have been widely investigated, however little attention has been given to the stromal changes. Puberty is a major phase of prostate development and growth, which exogenous factors may act favoring the onset of prostate diseases in the adult and old ages. Moreover, in the puberty the individuals increase their exposure to the cadmium by smoking, actively or passively. In this sense, more studies are needed to describe the cadmium effects on prostate maturation and their consequences for the adult prostate morpho-physiology. In this project, we will investigate the effect of a chronic exposure to cadmium, since early puberty (35 days post natal until adult age, 6 months-old) on rat prostate. Thus, morphological, morphometric and cytochemical analyze will be done. This project is part of a PhD Thesis projetc from a FAPESP fellowship (Proc. FAPESP 09/50850-5) and of FAPESP Regular Research Grant (09/52747-7).