Alterations in Inflammatory Markers and Tissue Architecture in the Gerbil Prostate Following Castration

SummaryOrchiectomy induces atrophy of epithelial cells in the prostate gland, stimulated by androgen deprivation. The objective of the current study was to assess the changes arising from tissue remodeling during short periods of androgen deprivation in the ventral prostate of Mongolian gerbils. Adult male gerbils were divided into groups: control and castrated, euthanized on the 3rd (Ca3d), 7th (Ca7d), and 14th (Ca14d) days post-orchiectomy (n = 7/group). The ventral lobe of the prostate was submitted for histological, stereological, morphometric, serological, and immunohistochemical analyses. Castration promoted a reduction in the weight of the ventral prostate. It altered the relative proportion of prostate tissue compartments, such as a decrease in the epithelium and non-muscular stroma and an increase in the muscular stroma. In addition, we observed that the number of Cd-68 positive cells increased in the Ca3d group, which represents a period of androgen deprivation not previously reported in the literature for Mongolian gerbils. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 quantification revealed a decrease in the Ca7d group compared to the Ca3d. In addition, the frequency of Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha increased in the Ca14d group, influenced by the duration of testosterone deficiency. The findings contribute to the understanding of prostate tissue remodeling after castration, as well as highlighting the rapid alterations in the prostate microenvironment in a short period following castration.