Journal of Andrology
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Published-Ahead-of-Print June 10, 2010, DOI:10.2164/jandrol.110.010306

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Insulin Affects Tissue Organization and the Kinetics of Epithelial Cell Death in the Rat Ventral Prostate after Castration

Danilo M. Damas-Souza , Cláudio A. Oliveira , and Hernandes F. Carvalho *

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: hern{at}unicamp.br.

Prostate growth and physiology are regulated by steroid hormones and modulated by multiple endocrine factors. We investigated the action of insulin on the tissue organization and kinetics of epithelial cells in the rat ventral prostate (VP) in response to castration up to 120 h after surgery, by using an acute protocol of alloxan-induced diabetes. Diabetes caused a reduction in volume density (Vv%) and volume of the epithelium. The effects of castration on the epithelium were accelerated in the diabetic animals, as determined by changes in Vv% and volume. The smooth-muscle cells became atrophic and apparently relaxed in response to castration, contrasting with the spinous aspect observed in non-diabetic castrated rats. Counting of apoptotic nuclei in the epithelium showed the classical apoptosis peak at 72 h in non-diabetics, and an advance of the apoptosis peak to 48 h after castration in diabetics. Insulin restored the time of the peak to 72 h, suggesting a survival and anti-apoptotic effect on VP epithelial cells, in both the presence and absence of androgen stimulation. These results were confirmed after immunostaining for cleaved-caspase 3. This idea is supported by the observation that insulin also reduced the overall rate of apoptosis at all experimental points analyzed, before and after castration.


Key words: Androgen • Hormone • Reproductive Tract • Apoptosis • Castration • Insulin • Prostate • Tissue remodeling






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