[Transient compensatory hypertrophy and limited regeneration of the surgically removed rat ventral prostate].
OBJECTIVE
To confirm whether regeneration of prostate lobe indeed takes place on surgical lobectomy and if so, to what extent. Other issues studied are 1. whether the lobe regenerated is similar morphologically to that developing normally from neonatal origin to adulthood, and 2. the consequences of partial lobectomy on the contralateral lobe and the influence of sex steroid hormones on the regeneration process.


METHODS
The effect of surgical removal of one of the ventral prostate lobes on the size of the contralateral lobe has been studied at various time intervals after lobectomy.


RESULTS
The surgically extirpated ventral prostate lobe in rats regenerates attaining plateau size at 8-16 weeks post lobectomy. The regenerated lobe, however, remains significantly smaller than the original size. In early phase of post lobectomy (at 2 weeks) the contralateral lobe was significantly hypertrophied. It reverts to normal size on regeneration of the extirpated lobe with time. Orchiectomy carried out at the time of lobectomy caused a drastic reduction in the size of the remaining lobe, which was prevented by exogenous treatment with androgens. In animals receiving treatment with estrogens, the remaining lobe was partially but not fully atrophied. However, estrogens did not support the regeneration of the surgically removed lobe, which requires androgens.


CONCLUSIONS
These studies demonstrate that surgical removal of one of the ventral prostate lobe leads to a process of regeneration. However, the regenerated lobe does not attain the normal size.
Talwar Research Foundation, International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India.
Sumana
S
Chakrovarty
Shashi
S
Wadhwa
Manish
M
Diwan
Ritu
R
Malhotra
S N
SN
Wadhwa
G P
GP
Talwar
D000818:Animals; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009919:Orchiectomy; D011467:Prostate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000209:etiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012038:Regeneration; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology
D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol