Differential expression of prostatic androgen receptor and alpha-smooth muscle actin in castrated and non-castrated...

The prostate, the only accessory sex gland in dogs, is androgen-dependent and has a vital influence on male fertility. Either for therapeutic or preventative purposes, orchidectomy is performed in both human and animal, especially for androgen-dependent disorders. Thereby, the current study aimed to evaluate the immunohistochemical characteristics of the canine prostate gland after unilateral and bilateral orchiectomy. Primarily, twenty-one healthy male dogs of 18-20 kg and 1-2 years were divided into three main groups; control, unilateral castrated and bilateral castrated groups. The last two groups were subdivided, based on post castration time, into three subgroups; 10, 20, and 30 days. The prostatic tissues were harvested from all experimental groups for immunohistochemical studies. The results revealed progressive significant alterations in the prostate gland immunostaining affinity after bilateral castration as time passed; gradual reduction in the androgen receptors and α-SMA immunoexpression was observed. On the contrary, the unilateral procedure conserves the prostatic tissue nearly similar to the control. It was concluded that, however, immunohistochemical characteristics of prostatic tissue were maintained without detectable changes after unilateral castration, there was a marked ongoing decrease of androgen receptors and α-SMA immunoreactivity post bilateral castration procedure.