title: Changes in the androgen levels in the ventral prostate of spontaneously hypertensive rats after castration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize the changes in androgen levels in the prostate after castration, as androgens are critical in the progression of prostate cancer after castration, but the time at which the androgen remaining in the prostatic cancer tissue after castration exerts its effects is poorly understood.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ventral prostate (VP) in adult male spontaneously hypertensive rats was excised at 2, 4 and 8 h, 1, 2, 4 and 7 days, and 2, 4 and 8 weeks after castration. The dihydrotestosterone (DHT), testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and androstenedione (4-dione) levels in the VP were measured simultaneously using gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Within 2 days of castration, the DHT and testosterone levels in the VP decreased sharply, while there were no significant changes in the DHEA or 4-dione levels. From 2 days to 2 weeks after castration (2-7 days for 4-dione), there was a sharp peak in tissue androgen levels in the VP (P < 0.05 for all androgens); during the subsequent 6 weeks after castration, all of the tissue DHT, testosterone, DHEA and 4-dione levels gradually increased with time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data show the changes which occur in androgen levels in rat VP after castration and support the concept that the adrenal glands compensate for the loss of testicular androgen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Mingqiu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Dianqi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Guofeng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yiming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yanqun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Na
mesh_terms: D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000378:metabolism; D000728:Androgens / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D018450:Disease Progression; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009919:Orchiectomy; D011467:Prostate / Q000378:metabolism*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens