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Cadmium chloride‐induced dysplastic changes in the ventral rat prostate: An immunohistochemical and quantitative study
Author(s) -
Martín José J.,
Martín Rocío,
Codesal Javier,
Fraile Benito,
Paniagua Ricardo,
Santamaría Luis
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
the prostate
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.295
H-Index - 123
eISSN - 1097-0045
pISSN - 0270-4137
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0045(200101)46:1<11::aid-pros1003>3.0.co;2-k
Subject(s) - proliferating cell nuclear antigen , cadmium chloride , apoptosis , prostate , immunostaining , dysplasia , immunohistochemistry , pathology , carcinogenesis , intraepithelial neoplasia , biology , population , endocrinology , chemistry , medicine , cadmium , cancer , biochemistry , environmental health , organic chemistry
Background Cadmium chloride is an environmental toxic that might be implicated in human prostate carcinogenesis. The study was directed: 1) to evaluate the immunoexpression of markers for cell proliferation, apoptosis, and resistance to apoptosis, and 2) to estimate the size of premalignant cell population in the preneoplastic changes induced in ventral prostates of rats treated with cadmium chloride administered in drinking water. Methods The following parameters were calculated in the ventral prostatic lobe of normal rats and rats that received cadmium in drinking water during 18 months: total volume, epithelial volume, total number of epithelial cells, numerical density of epithelial cells, percentage of cells that immunostained to the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), percentage of apoptotic cells (evaluated by a DNA fragmentation method), and absolute volume and volume fraction of immunostaining to bcl‐2. Results The percentage of PCNA immunoreactive nuclei, the bcl‐2 expression, and the numerical density of epithelial cells were significantly ( P < 0.05) increased in the dysplastic prostatic acini of treated rats in comparison with the normal acini of treated rats and control animals. The percentage of apoptotic nuclei from ventral dysplastic acini was significantly ( P < 0.05) decreased in comparison with that of normal acini. A negative correlation between proliferation and apoptosis was found in dysplastic lesions. Conclusions Prostate epithelial dysplasia induced in rats by cadmium presents an increased proliferative activity and high expression of bcl‐2 protein, as was described in human prostate intraepithelial neoplasia. However, the rate of apoptosis in rat dysplasia was importantly decreased, in contrast to that observed in some human preneoplastic changes. This decrease might be related to the increase of bcl‐2 expression. Prostate 46:11–20, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.