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| Author(s): |
Lara Silvia Corradi
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | Campinas, SP. |
| Institution: | Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia |
| Defense date: | 2008-01-24 |
| Examining board members: |
Sebastião Roberto Taboga;
José Roberto Bosqueiro;
Wílson de Mello Junior;
Sérgio Luis Felisbino;
Wellerson Rodrigo Scarano
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| Advisor: | Sebastião Roberto Taboga |
| Abstract | |
Androgens have substantial role in the biology of the prostate, but estrogens also can affect the growth and differentiation of this gland. In specific tissues of the body, the ratio between androgens and estrogens can differ significantly from that found into plasma. The intracellular concentrations of these steroids in target tissues are mediated by a local hormone metabolism, by specifcs steroid-metabolizing enzymes, as the 5a-redutase (5a -r) and the aromatase (aro). In the prostate, the androgenic action is accented due to the conversion of testosterone in dihydrotestosterone by the activity of the 5a -r, while aro enzyme is an alternative pathway for the aromatization of testosterone into estrogens. These locally syntheses of steroids hormones assume thus, a great importance to the prostate cancer, where abnormal hormone levels can promote development and proliferation of malignancy to this gland. The activated functions of androgens and estrogens may be better understood focusing the maintenance of homeostatic prostatic epithelial-stromal interactions. Studies conducted with inhibitors of these specific enzymes have been carried out in an effort to clarify the real role of steroid-metabolizing enzymes in the maintenance of prostatic physiology, as well as into malignant progression prostatic cancer. After 30 consecutive days of inhibition, simultaneous or not, of the enzymes 5a -r and aro, respectively by Finasterida and Letrozol, the prostate of young, adult and old gerbils revealed that epithelial and estromal compartments were totally modified and reorganized in the attempt to adapt it to the new induced hormonal condition. Immediately after the end of drugs administration, in the early phase of the post-treatments period, the concentrations of testosterone and estrogens had been altered, the epithelial cells had their secretore activity pattern modified and, in the stromal compartment, the extracellular matrix was totally remodeled. The smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts became fenotipically modified. In the late phase of the post-treatments period, it was evident the attempt of the prostate gland in became morphologically and physiologically as a normal gland, however, this was not achieved in any analyzed gerbil. These steroids hormone metabolization blockade seems to be a good tool for the study of the epithelium-stroma interaction both in normal and abnormal prostate gland. Based on this data, it is suggested that the unbalance between androgens and estrogens intraprostatic concentrations provoked by Finasteride and Letrozol, together or not, interfered into the prostatic compartments interactions significantly. The results seem to be indicative of important signals of the new locally hormonal scene within the prostate gland. The recovery of balance hormonal concentrations of the prostate is damaged after the enzymatic blockade what gives, therefore, to this to 5a -r and aro enzymes, a status of crucial key for the normal and abnormal prostate gland. The establishment of experimental models for this kind of study and the knowledge of the cellular and macromolecular components of the prostate are also fundamental for the agreement of development, structure and physiology of prostate (AU) | |