PERINATAL EXPOSURE TO A MIXTURE OF AGROCHEMICALS INDUCES LESIONS IN THE VENTRAL PROSTATE IN POSTPUBERTAL RATS

GOMEZ AL; REATO DG; SCHIERANO-MAROTTI G; KASS L; ALTAMIRANO GA

Mar del Plata

Congreso; Reunión Anual de Sociedades de Biociencias. LXVII REUNIÓN ANUAL DE LA SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE INVESTIGACIÓN CLÍNICA (SAIC); 2022

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica

Studies reported that there could be an association between agrochemicals exposure and prostate diseases. Here, our aim was to evaluate whether perinatal exposure to a mixture of the fungicide propiconazole (PRO) and the herbicide glyphosate (GLY) alters the ventral prostate (VP) development of postpubertal rats. Pregnant rats were orally exposed to vehicle (saline solution) or a mixture of PRO and GLY (each 4 mg/kg/day), from gestation day 9 until weaning. On postnatal day 60, male offspring were euthanized, and serum and VP samples were collected. Serum level of testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) was measured. In the VP, the presence of lesions was examined. Also, the proliferation index (Ki67), androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptor beta (ESR2) and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were assessed by immunohistochemistry. In PROGLY rats, serum level of T was decreased compared with controls, whereas the E2 level was similar between groups. Histologically, both foci of epithelial hyperplasia and atrophy were found in the VP. In this sense, PROGLY rats showed a higher percentage of prostatic ducts with hyperplasia (Control: 1.31±0.42% vs PROGLY: 4.44 ± 0.55%; p