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| Author(s): |
Ricardo Alexandre Fochi
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | Campinas, SP. |
| Institution: | Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia |
| Defense date: | 2009-02-17 |
| Examining board members: |
Sebastião Roberto Taboga;
Marcelo Martinez;
Sérgio Luis Felisbino
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| Advisor: | Fernanda Cristina Alcântara dos Santos; Sebastião Roberto Taboga |
| Abstract | |
The prostate is not an exclusive organ of the male reproduction system, found in females of several rodents' species and also in humans. The female prostate has been considered homologue to the male ventral prostate and it is formed by a small cluster of glands and ducts inserted into a fiber muscular stroma. In adult female Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus), the prostate presents a paraurethral location, showing close contact with the wall of urethra in its proximal and median regions. In males, the hormone action, mainly androgens and estrogens that influence the prostate physiology are well known. In females, however, the factors that influence the prostate activity are little know, although it is known that the hormonal changes, common to senescence, are associated with the genesis of prostate lesions. It is also known that hormonal oscillations that occur during the female's reproductive cycle influence the morphophysiology of several organs of the reproductive system. Although the female prostate is a functional organ and sensitive to the action of steroid hormones, it is not known, until now, if hormonal oscillations that occur during the reproductive cycle can alter the biology of this gland. Thus, the aim of this work was to evaluate the morphofunctional aspects of the female prostate during the Mongolian gerbil estrous cycle, which consists of four distinct phases, considering proestrus, estrus, diestrus I and diestrus II. For this, were employed morphological, morphometricstereological, serological, and enzyme immunocytochemistry analysis. The data showed that hormonal oscillations during the estrous cycle alter the structure and function of the gerbil female prostate. These changes include an increased prostate development and an increased secretory activity, in relation to the secretion of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and PAS positive glycoproteins, during the estrus and proestrus stages, and a gradual reduction in secretory activity and of the glandular development in the diestrus I and II stages. The same occurred with prostatic acid phosphatase activity, present throughout the cycle, which showed a lower frequency of acini with lack of marking in estrus phase and a higher frequency in subsequent phases (diestrus I and II). It is believed, based on collected data, that these morphophysiological cyclical changes in prostate are determined by hormonal peak of estrogen in diestrus II and the high levels of progesterone in estrus, which interact with the constant levels of androgens throughout the estrous cycle. (AU) | |