This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Foster, B. A. Articles by Cunha, G. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Foster, B. A. Articles by Cunha, G. R. Pubmed/NCBI databases Compound via MeSH Substance via MeSH Hazardous Substances DB TESTOSTERONE

Efficacy of Various Natural and Synthetic Androgens to Induce Ductal Branching Morphogenesis in the Developing Anterior Rat Prostate¹

Department of Developmental Anatomy, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, California 94143-0738

Address all correspondence to: Dr. Barbara A. Foster, Department of Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030. E-mail: grcunha{at}itsa.ucsf.edu

The studies presented herein quantitated ductal branching morphogenesis in the anterior prostate (AP) of the newborn rat. Four parameters were measured: epithelial area, epithelial perimeter, node number, and form factor. Nine natural and synthetic androgens were tested for their effectiveness in inducing postnatal prostatic development using 808 newborn rat APs in 68 dose-response experiments. Based on these studies it was shown that testosterone (T) was slightly more effective than dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in supporting ductal branching morphogenesis in the developing rat AP. Furthermore, the activity of T could not be accounted for simply by conversion of T to DHT. Synthetic androgens, 7-methyl-19-nortestosterone and methyltrienolone (R1881), which cannot be 5-reduced to DHT, also induced extensive ductal branching and elicited responses less than those to T and not statistically different from those to DHT. This suggests that although DHT is sufficient for prostatic development, it is not necessary for postnatal ductal branching morphogenesis and growth of the prostate. 5-Androstan-3,17ß-diol was particularly potent in inducing ductal branching, eliciting a response greater than or comparable to those of T and DHT. Androsterone, androstanedione, 5-androstan-3ß,17ß-diol and 5ß-androstan-3,17ß-diol induced ductal branching, but to a lesser extent than either T or DHT. These studies challenge the assumption that DHT is essential for prostatic development, specifically during ductal branching morphogenesis of the neonatal rat prostate.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Feng, Q. Tang, M. Sun, J. Y. Chun, C. P. Evans, and A. C. Gao Interleukin-6 increases prostate cancer cells resistance to bicalutamide via TIF2 Mol. Cancer Ther., March 1, 2009; 8(3): 665 - 671. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L.-j. Shao, H. Y. Shi, G. Ayala, D. Rowley, and M. Zhang Haploinsufficiency of the Maspin Tumor Suppressor Gene Leads to Hyperplastic Lesions in Prostate Cancer Res., July 1, 2008; 68(13): 5143 - 5151. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. O von Bueren, R. Ma, M. Schlumpf, and W. Lichtensteiger Salbutamol exhibits androgenic activity in vitro Br. J. Sports Med., December 1, 2007; 41(12): 874 - 878. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Ma, B. Cotton, W. Lichtensteiger, and M. Schlumpf UV Filters with Antagonistic Action at Androgen Receptors in the MDA-kb2 Cell Transcriptional-Activation Assay Toxicol. Sci., July 1, 2003; 74(1): 43 - 50. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. O. Lee, W. Lou, M. Hou, F. de Miguel, L. Gerber, and A. C. Gao Interleukin-6 Promotes Androgen-independent Growth in LNCaP Human Prostate Cancer Cells Clin. Cancer Res., January 1, 2003; 9(1): 370 - 376. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]