RESUMO
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether high levels of exogenous testosterone (T) interfere in prostate morphogenesis. Pregnant females were exposed to subcutaneous injections of T cypionate (500 µg/animal) at gestational days 20 and 22. Male and female pups were euthanized at postnatal days 1 and 15. 15-day-old males had only fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) immunostaining and nuclear form factor altered by the treatment, whereas treated females (T1 and T15) had almost all analyzed parameters changed. T1 females showed an increased anogenital distance (AGD), whereas T15 females had both AGD and ovary weight increased. T1 females had a higher number of epithelial buds emerging from the urethral and vaginal epithelium. We observed ectopic prostatic tissue surrounding the vagina in both T1 and T15 females. Moreover, the ectopic acini of T15 females showed delayed luminal formation, and there was a thickening of the periacinar smooth muscle layer (SML). Finally, FGF10 immunostaining intensity decreased in both T15 male and female prostates. Indeed, Sonic hedgehog (Shh) was upregulated in T15 female prostates, whereas no difference was observed between the male groups. These data showed that exogenous T changed the nuclear morphology of prostate epithelial cells in both males and females. Surprisingly, smooth muscle hyperplasia was also observed in the ectopic female prostate. Moreover, T downregulated FGF10 in both male and female prostates. Interestingly, the results suggest that FGF10 downregulation is mediated by the upregulation of Shh in females. In conclusion, exogenous T disrupts prostate development, particularly, affecting, the female.
Assuntos
Epitélio/metabolismo , Fator 10 de Crescimento de Fibroblastos/biossíntese , Proteínas Hedgehog/biossíntese , Músculo Liso/metabolismo , Efeitos Tardios da Exposição Pré-Natal/metabolismo , Próstata/metabolismo , Testosterona/toxicidade , Animais , Animais Recém-Nascidos , Epitélio/efeitos dos fármacos , Epitélio/patologia , Feminino , Fator 10 de Crescimento de Fibroblastos/genética , Regulação da Expressão Gênica no Desenvolvimento , Gerbillinae , Proteínas Hedgehog/genética , Masculino , Músculo Liso/citologia , Músculo Liso/efeitos dos fármacos , Gravidez , Efeitos Tardios da Exposição Pré-Natal/induzido quimicamente , Próstata/efeitos dos fármacos , Próstata/patologiaRESUMO
Precancerous lesions have been studied because of their carcinogenic potential and their association with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has been reported. In the tumour microenvironment, the processes of angiogenesis and tissue remodelling are regulated by a family of proteins (Hedgehog) described as being able to modulate epithelial/mesenchymal interactions. The objective of this study was to perform a comparative study of precancerous lesions and SCCs by immunohistochemistry for the presence of Sonic, Gli2, SMO and Patched proteins, members of the Hedgehog pathway. Sixteen cases diagnosed as actinic cheilitis associated with SCC were compared to normal oral mucosa. The sections were subjected to immunohistochemistry and the positively stained cells were counted by morphometric analysis. There was a significant progressive increase in expression of all proteins of the Hedgehog pathway, both in the epithelium and in the connective tissue, when sections of normal mucosa, dysplasia and carcinoma were compared (P < 0.05). Thus, one may suggest that the Hedgehog pathway in tumour transformation influences SCC, and more studies should be conducted to expand the understanding of the role of these proteins in neoplastic transformation.