Modeling of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Rats with a High Dose of Testosterone

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Endocrinology
• Pathology

Background:

• Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition in aging men.
• Testosterone plays a key role in prostate growth and BPH development.
• Accurate animal models are crucial for studying BPH pathogenesis and testing therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize the testosterone-induced rat model for benign prostatic hyperplasia.
• To evaluate the effects of castration and varying testosterone doses on prostate proliferation.
• To assess the utility of a modified, non-traumatic BPH model.

Main Methods:

• Wistar rats were subjected to castration or sham surgery.
• Subcutaneous administration of testosterone propionate at different doses (20 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg) was performed for 4 weeks.
• Prostate tissue was examined morphologically to assess proliferative and hemodynamic changes.
• The model's sensitivity to finasteride was evaluated.

Main Results:

• A high dose of testosterone propionate (20 mg/kg) induced significant proliferative and hemodynamic changes in the dorsolateral prostate, regardless of castration status.
• A lower dose (3 mg/kg) had minimal effect in non-castrated rats but normalized the prostate in castrated rats.
• Castration did not provide a discernible advantage in establishing the BPH model.
• The high-dose testosterone model demonstrated good reproducibility and sensitivity to finasteride.

Conclusions:

• Castration is not essential for creating a testosterone-induced BPH model in rats.
• A non-traumatic, high-dose testosterone administration method offers a reproducible and sensitive model for BPH research.
• This optimized model is suitable for evaluating the efficacy of therapeutic agents like finasteride.