Beta-adrenergic receptor blockade and prostate peptide  growth factor expression in the rat.
OBJECTIVE
In the rat prostate, beta-adrenoreceptor (beta-AR) stimulation does not alter basal prostatic tone but may inhibit alpha1-AR-mediated, field stimulation-induced or receptor-independent contractile responses. The present study was designed to assess the alteration of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta) expression in the rat ventral prostate in response to beta-AR blockade with propranolol.


RESULTS
At sacrifice, body weight as well as ventral prostate weight and prostate morphology were not significantly affected by propranolol treatment. Stromal elements and the majority of prostatic epithelial cells in control animals demonstrated positive staining for the anti-bFGF antibody, while positive staining for TGFbeta was seen only in epithelial cells. Propranolol treatment resulted in considerable decrease of bFGF staining intensity in both stromal and epithelial cells, while the immunostaining pattern for TGFbeta was almost abolished.


CONCLUSIONS
The results from this study provide evidence to suggest that prolonged propranolol treatment affects peptide growth expression in the rat ventral prostate as in other tissues, and confirms the notion that autonomic nervous system controls, at least partly, prostate gland functional characteristics. Moreover, it may also affect prostate homeostasis by intervening in stromal-epithelial interaction through alterations in the expression of peptide growth factors without affecting prostate volume.
1st Department of Urology, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece. dmp@otenet.gr
Dionisios
D
Mitropoulos
Aspasia
A
Kyroudi-Voulgari
Filia
F
Stratigea
Despina
D
Perea
Harisios
H
Boudoulas
Panayotis
P
Karayannacos
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D011433:Propranolol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011467:Prostate / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000502:physiology; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000235:genetics*
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D011433:Propranolol