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Ruiz TFR, Vilamaior PSL, Grigio V, Colleta SJ, Zucão MI, de Campos SGP, Dos Santos FCA, Biancardi MF, Perez APS, Taboga SR, Leonel ECR. The Mongolian Gerbil as a Useful Experimental Model in Reproductive Biology. Reprod Sci 2023; 30:2092-2106. [PMID: 36696041 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-023-01171-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Ultimately, the Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) have acquired a relevant role in biological and biomedical experiments alongside other rodents. The use of gerbils in research has been mainly oriented to physiological and pharmacological studies, with special attention to nervous, digestive, and auditory systems as well as microbiology and parasitology. Ultimately, gerbils have also been applied for studying carcinogenesis in different organs and systems, since these animals show a natural propensity to develop spontaneous proliferative lesions, especially in steroid-responsive organs. This characteristic shed light on the reproductive aspects of this rodent model regarding morphological features in male and female individuals. This review of literature summarizes the significance of this model as an alternative to the use of inbred mice and rats in reproductive experimental research, highlighting recent findings. Gerbils have contributed to the expansion of knowledge in prostate biology in male and female individuals, providing studies related to prostatic morphogenesis and neoplasia. In the testes, spermiogenesis occurs in 15 steps, differently from other experimental models. Also, the complete maturation of the testis-epididymal complex occurs between the second and third months. Mammary gland alterations related to the estrous cycle and pregnancy were described, as well as its modulation under endogenous and exogenous estrogenic compounds. The ovaries frequently present ovarian cysts. Furthermore, this organ shows predominantly interstitial steroidogenic glands in the stroma, especially at aging. Adrenal gland shows a large size compared to other animals, presenting three distinct zones with a remarkable role in steroidogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thalles Fernando Rocha Ruiz
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University, Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265 Jardim Nazareth, São José Do Rio Preto, SP, 15054-000, Brazil
- Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Patricia Simone Leite Vilamaior
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University, Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265 Jardim Nazareth, São José Do Rio Preto, SP, 15054-000, Brazil
| | - Vitor Grigio
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University, Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265 Jardim Nazareth, São José Do Rio Preto, SP, 15054-000, Brazil
| | - Simone Jacovaci Colleta
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University, Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265 Jardim Nazareth, São José Do Rio Preto, SP, 15054-000, Brazil
| | - Mariele Ilario Zucão
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University, Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265 Jardim Nazareth, São José Do Rio Preto, SP, 15054-000, Brazil
| | - Silvana Gisele Pegorin de Campos
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University, Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265 Jardim Nazareth, São José Do Rio Preto, SP, 15054-000, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Cristina Alcântara Dos Santos
- Department of Histology, Embryology and Cell Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Goiás, Avenida Esperança, S/N, Câmpus Samambaia, Goiânia, Goiás, 74690-900, Brazil
| | - Manoel Francisco Biancardi
- Department of Histology, Embryology and Cell Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Goiás, Avenida Esperança, S/N, Câmpus Samambaia, Goiânia, Goiás, 74690-900, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Silva Perez
- Academic Unit of Health Sciences, Medicine Course, Federal University of Jataí, BR 36, Km 195, Jataí, Goiás, 75801-615, Brazil
| | - Sebastião Roberto Taboga
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University, Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265 Jardim Nazareth, São José Do Rio Preto, SP, 15054-000, Brazil
| | - Ellen Cristina Rivas Leonel
- Department of Histology, Embryology and Cell Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Goiás, Avenida Esperança, S/N, Câmpus Samambaia, Goiânia, Goiás, 74690-900, Brazil.
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Campos SGP, Gonçalves BF, Ruiz TFR, Leonel ECR, Ribeiro DL, Falleiros Junior LR, Goes RM, Taboga SR. Proteoglycans orchestrate remodeling of prostatic cytoarchitecture after androgenic blockade in old gerbils. Prostate 2023; 83:179-189. [PMID: 36262059 DOI: 10.1002/pros.24451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate modifications in proteoglycan morphology and composition in the prostatic stroma of 18-month-old gerbils after surgical castration, in association or not with an androgenic blockade. METHODS The animals (n = 5) were sorted into groups subjected or not to antiandrogen treatment (flutamide 10 mg/kg/day) administered for the total postsurgery period and euthanized at 7- or 30-day postcastration; the control group consisted of intact animals. Tissue analysis included immunohistochemical assessment (perlecan and chondroitin sulfate) and proteoglycan morphology was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS Chondroitin sulfate frequency was increased 7 days postcastration with an androgenic blockade. The presence of these carbohydrates was rare after 30 days of androgenic blockade treatment. There was a significant increase in the amount of perlecan in the prostate stroma from groups subjected to castration plus flutamide for 7 or 30 days. Ultrastructural analysis showed that the incidence of areas occupied by proteoglycans and basement membrane was altered by treatment. In addition, androgenic blockade results in changes in the amount, thickness, and morphology of these structures. At 30 days postcastration, with or without flutamide treatment, larger proteoglycans were common. CONCLUSIONS In this study, in particular, the decrease in chondroitin sulfate after the longer period might be understood as a prostatic response to androgenic deprivation, while the high frequency and permanence of perlecan led to the assumption that its modulation could be androgen-independent. Length and form alterations in proteoglycans as well as associations among them and with the basement membrane were dynamic events in the prostate microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana G P Campos
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University (Unesp), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bianca F Gonçalves
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University (Unesp), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thalles Fernando Rocha Ruiz
- Department of Structural and Functional Biology, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ellen Cristina R Leonel
- Department of Histology, Embryology and Cell Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Goiás (UFG), Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Daniele L Ribeiro
- Department of Cell Biology, Histology and Embriology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences-ICBIM, Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - Rejane M Goes
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University (Unesp), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sebastião R Taboga
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University (Unesp), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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Gonçalves BF, de Campos SGP, Góes RM, Scarano WR, Taboga SR, Vilamaior PSL. Dual action of high estradiol doses on MNU-induced prostate neoplasms in a rodent model with high serum testosterone: Protective effect and emergence of unstable epithelial microenvironment. Prostate 2017; 77:970-983. [PMID: 28401578 DOI: 10.1002/pros.23353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Estrogens are critical players in prostate growth and disease. Estrogen therapy has been the standard treatment for advanced prostate cancer for several decades; however, it has currently been replaced by alternative anti-androgenic therapies. Additionally, studies of its action on prostate biology, resulting from an association between carcinogens and estrogen, at different stages of life are scarce or inconclusive about its protective and beneficial role on induced-carcinogenesis. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether estradiol exerts a protective and/or stimulatory role on N-methyl-N-nitrosurea-induced prostate neoplasms. METHODS We adopted a rodent model that has been used to study induced-prostate carcinogenesis: the Mongolian gerbil. We investigated the occurrence of neoplasms, karyometric patterns, androgen and estrogen receptors, basal cells, and global methylation status in ventral and dorsolateral prostate tissues. RESULTS Histopathological analysis showed that estrogen was able to slow tumor growth in both lobes after prolonged treatment. However, a true neoplastic regression was observed only in the dorsolateral prostate. In addition to the protective effects against neoplastic progression, estrogen treatment resulted in an epithelium that exhibited features distinctive from a normal prostate, including increased androgen-insensitive basal cells, high androgens and estrogen receptor positivity, and changes in DNA methylation patterns. CONCLUSIONS Estrogen was able to slow tumor growth, but the epithelium exhibited features distinct from a normal prostatic epithelium, and this unstable microenvironment could trigger lesion recurrence over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca F Gonçalves
- Department of Cell Biology-Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Silvana G P de Campos
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Microscopy and Microanalysis, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences-IBILCE, UNESP-Sao Paulo State University, Sao Jose do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rejane M Góes
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Microscopy and Microanalysis, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences-IBILCE, UNESP-Sao Paulo State University, Sao Jose do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Wellerson R Scarano
- Department of Morphology, Institute of Biosciences, UNESP-São Paulo State University, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sebastião R Taboga
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Microscopy and Microanalysis, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences-IBILCE, UNESP-Sao Paulo State University, Sao Jose do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Patricia S L Vilamaior
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Microscopy and Microanalysis, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences-IBILCE, UNESP-Sao Paulo State University, Sao Jose do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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Colleta SJ, Antoniassi JQ, Zanatelli M, Santos FCA, Góes RM, Vilamaior PSL, Taboga SR. Acute exposure to bisphenol A and cadmium causes changes in the morphology of gerbil ventral prostates and promotes alterations in androgen-dependent proliferation and cell death. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY 2017; 32:48-61. [PMID: 26537420 DOI: 10.1002/tox.22211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Revised: 10/06/2015] [Accepted: 10/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) and cadmium (Cd) are environmental pollutants that are implicated in potential reproductive effects, including damage to the prostate gland. Their action during puberty requires analysis to determine the relationship of these compounds with the testosterone peak that occurs during this phase. This study evaluated whether exposure to BPA and Cd during puberty can cause changes in the morphology, proliferation and cell death and androgen receptor (AR) immunostaining of the ventral prostates of normal and castrated male gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus), considering an acute exposure to the chemicals and evaluation after short (52d) and long (120d) periods. Generally, morphometric-stereological results demonstrated that administration of BPA and Cd (individually or in combination) increased epithelial height, smooth muscle layer (SML) thickness and nuclear area and perimeter, and that these parameters were reduced in castrated animals. In addition, these groups showed important inflammatory processes but not prostate lesions. The proliferation/death rates of prostatic cells obtained by PCNA and TUNEL immunostaining demonstrated increased cell death in the 52d groups; in contrast, the gland acquired a more proliferative nature in the 120d groups. AR immunostaining showed that BPA and Cd compounds interact with ARs in different ways depending on the evaluated period and the hormonal profile of the animal. We conclude that BPA and cadmium are important agents in changing the morphology, proliferation and death of prostatic cells, in addition to interacting with ARs in different patterns. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 48-61, 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone J Colleta
- Department of Biology Structural and Functional, State University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Julia Q Antoniassi
- Department of Biology Structural and Functional, State University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marianna Zanatelli
- Department of Biology Structural and Functional, State University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fernanda C A Santos
- Department of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Federal University of Goiás-UFG, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Rejane M Góes
- Department of Biology Structural and Functional, State University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Biology, Univ. Estadual Paulista-UNESP, São José Do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Patricia S L Vilamaior
- Department of Biology, Univ. Estadual Paulista-UNESP, São José Do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sebastião R Taboga
- Department of Biology Structural and Functional, State University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Biology, Univ. Estadual Paulista-UNESP, São José Do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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