Age dependency of androgen and estrogen effects on incorporation of (3H)-thymidine by rat prostates in organ culture.
Organ culture of the rat ventral prostate has been evaluated as a model for studying the biological effects of androgen agonists, androgen antagonists, and estrogens. Explants were cultured for up to 8 days, and incorporation of (3H)-thymidine and (3H)-uridine by the explants was measured. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) increased the incorporation of (3H)-thymidine/microgram DNA when compared with the untreated controls at 4 days, P less than .05; and at 6 days, P less than .01. Enhanced uptake in explants from 6 to 8-week old rats also was observed with 10 nM estradiol (P less than .05) and 10 nM cyproterone acetate (P less than .02). DHT (10 nM) caused greater enhancement of uptake in explants from 3-week-old rats than in explants from 6- or 12-week-old rats. In contrast, estradiol (E2) increased incorporation only in prostates from the 6-week-old rats. Since both DHT and E2 can enhance (3H)-thymidine uptake even though they are associated with strikingly different effects on prostate morphology, it suggests that their effects on (3H)-thymidine incorporation are mediated by different cells.
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism; D000367:Age Factors; D000728:Androgens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D003534:Cyproterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D017373:Cyproterone Acetate; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology; D004967:Estrogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D011467:Prostate / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology
D000728:Androgens; D004967:Estrogens; D007328:Insulin; D013739:Testosterone; D017373:Cyproterone Acetate; D004958:Estradiol; D003534:Cyproterone