Fernanda Cristina Alcantara dos Santos

Budding process during the organogenesis of the ventral prostatic lobe in mongolian gerbil

The prostate is a mammalian gland that shows a complex process of organogenesis. Here, a morphological study to characterize the organogenesis of the ventral prostate lobe in male gerbils was conducted. The urogenital sinus (UGS) was dissected out and processed for paraffin embedding. Histological sections were subjected to cytochemical, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemical, and three‐dimensional reconstruction techniques. We found that the first ventral buds emerged from the ventral urethral epithelium between the days 20 and 21 of prenatal life, reaching the ventral mesenchymal pad and initiating the branching process on the first day of postnatal life. The buds presented a V‐shaped elongation, suggesting that the smooth muscle layer (SML) plays an important role during budding events. Indeed, whereas the androgen receptor (AR) was preferentially found in the UGS mesenchyme (UGM), estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) was localized in both the UGM and in the emerging buds. This study characterized the morphological aspects of the budding process in a different rodent from rat and mice, serving as a new model for future studies on developmental biology of the prostate. Microsc. Res. Tech. 77:458–466, 2014.

Bisphenol-A promotes antiproliferative effects during neonatal prostate development in male and female gerbils.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the development of male and female neonatal gerbil prostate under normal conditions and exposed to bisphenol-A (BPA). Normal postnatal development of the female gerbil prostate occurs earlier than and is morphologically distinct from that occurring in males. In BPA-exposed PND8 gerbils, we have not observed evidence of alterations in the ductal branching in either gender. However, the exposure to BPA alters the immunolabeling pattern of AR, ERα, and PCNA. In males, the exposure to high dosages of BPA resulted in a decrease in the proliferative status of the developing ventral prostate. In females, both high and low dosages were sufficient to decrease the proliferation of paraurethral buds in the branching process by more than 50%. Therefore, the obtained data indicate that BPA promotes antiproliferative effects during the neonatal development of the gerbil prostate, with more sensitivity to this endocrine disruptor in females.

Progesterone restores the female prostate activity in ovariectomized gerbil and may act as competitor of testosterone in intraprostatic environment.

AIMS Little is known about the effect of progesterone on gerbil female prostate. It is known that normal oscillation in the progesterone and estradiol levels during the estrous cycle phases influence the morphophysiology of this gland. The present study aims to evaluate the isolated effect of prolonged administration of progesterone combined or not with testosterone on the prostate of ovariectomized female gerbil. MAIN METHODS To observe the morphological changes caused by castration in the prostate of different groups stereologic analyses of all prostate compartments, analysis of nuclear area and perimeter, and morphometric measurements of epithelial and smooth muscle cells layers were used. In addition, immunocytochemistry was performed to investigate the distribution of the androgen, estrogen alfa and beta and progesterone receptors in different prostatic compartments. KEY FINDINGS This study demonstrated that both treatments partially recovered the structure of the gland. In the group treated with progesterone plus testosterone a higher incidence of epithelial and stromal disorders occurred, besides the absence of secretory activity. Thus, treatment only with progesterone showed better results in the restoration of glandular homeostasis mainly seen by the regulation of the secretory activity. SIGNIFICANCE Collectively, the findings of this study indicate that progesterone may have a significant role on the maintenance of prostate morphophysiology, and showed an interesting evidence of hormonal competition between progesterone and testosterone.

Sleep Deprivation Alters Rat Ventral Prostate Morphology, Leading to Glandular Atrophy: A Microscopic Study Contrasted with the Hormonal Assays

We investigated the effect of 96 h paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) and 21-day sleep restriction (SR) on prostate morphology using stereological assays in male rats. After euthanasia, the rat ventral prostate was removed, weighed, and prepared for conventional light microscopy. Microscopic analysis of the prostate reveals that morphology of this gland was altered after 96 h of PSD and 21 days of SR, with the most important alterations occurring in the epithelium and stroma in the course of both procedures compared with the control group. Both 96 h PSD and 21-day SR rats showed lower serum testosterone and higher corticosterone levels than control rats. The significance of our result referring to the sleep deprivation was responsible for deep morphological alterations in ventral prostate tissue, like to castration microscopic modifications. This result is due to the marked alterations in hormonal status caused by PSD and SR.

Neuroprotective Effect of Caryocar brasiliense Camb. Leaves Is Associated with Anticholinesterase and Antioxidant Properties

Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) is an endemic species from Brazilian Cerrado, and their fruits are widely used in regional cuisine. In this work, a crude hydroalcoholic extract (CHE) of C. brasiliense leaves and its resulting fractions in hexane (HF), chloroform (CF), ethyl acetate (EAF), and butanol (BF) were investigated for their antioxidant properties and anticholinesterase activities. The antioxidant properties were evaluated by free radical scavenging and electroanalytical assays, which were further correlated with the total phenolic content and LC-MS results. The acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activities were examined using Ellmans colorimetric method. The LC-MS analysis of EAF revealed the presence of gallic acid and quercetin. CHE and its fractions, EAF and BF, showed anticholinesterase and antioxidant activities, suggesting the association of both effects with the phenolic content. In addition, behavioral tests performed with CHE (10, 100, and 300 mg/kg) showed that it prevented mice memory impairment which resulted from aluminium intake. Moreover, CHE inhibited brain lipid peroxidation and acetyl and butyryl-cholinesterase activities and the extracts neuroprotective effect was reflected at the microscopic level. Therefore, the leaves of pequi are a potential source of phenolic antioxidants and can be potentially used in treatments of memory dysfunctions, such as those associated with neurodegenerative disorders.

Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Properties of Eugenia dysenterica Leaves

Eugenia dysenterica ex DC Mart. (Myrtaceae), popularly known as “cagaita,” is a Brazilian plant rich in polyphenols and other antioxidant compounds. Aiming to evaluate the potential use of cagaita in pathologies involving oxidative stress, such as neurodegenerative disorders, this study investigated its antioxidant potential and neuroprotective effect. Electrochemical approaches and aluminium-induced neurotoxicity were used to determine respectively in vitro and in vivo antioxidant properties of cagaita. Voltammetric experiments were carried out in a three-electrode system, whose working electrode consisted of glassy carbon. Male Swiss mice were administered with AlCl3 orally at a dose of 100 mg/kg/day and with cagaita leaf hydroalcoholic extract (CHE) at doses of 10, 100, and 300 mg/kg/day. The redox behavior of CHE presented similar features to that of quercetin, a widely known antioxidant standard. CHE prevented mouse memory impairment which resulted from aluminium intake. In addition, biochemical markers of oxidative stress (catalase, superoxide dismutase activity, and lipid peroxidation) were normalized by CHE treatment. The potential of CHE to prevent aluminium-induced neurotoxicity was reflected at the microscopic level, through the decrease of the number of eosinophilic necrosis phenotypes seen in treated groups. Moreover, the protective effect of CHE was similar to that of quercetin, which was taken as the standard. These findings showed that the CHE of cagaita leaves has a potential to protect the brain against oxidative-induced brain damage.