TY - JOUR
TI - Effect of a Hypercholesterolemic Diet on Serum Lipid Profile, Plasma Sex
Steroid Levels, and Prostate Structure in Rats
AU - Ploumidou, Katherine
AU - Kyroudi-Voulgari, Aspasia
AU - Perea, Despina
AU - and Anastasiou, Ioannis
AU - Mitropoulos, Dionisios
JO - European urology oncology
PY - 2010
VL - 76
TODO - 6
SP - null
PB - EXCERPTA MEDICA INC-ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
SN - null
TODO - 10.1016/j.urology.2010.07.515
TODO - null
TODO - OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a
hypercholesterolemic diet (HD) on serum lipid profile, plasma sex
steroid levels, and ventral prostate structure in rats.
METHODS Beginning at 120 days of age, male Wistar rats were fed for 5
months with either standard rat chow (15 animals) or standard chow
enriched with 4% cholesterol and 1% cholic acid (15 animals). The body
and ventral prostate weights (VPWs), plasma sex steroid levels, and
lipid profiles were determined, and prostate morphology in fixed tissue
sections were studied.
RESULTS The body weight of rats fed with HD did not differ from that of
controls. However, both absolute and relative VPWs of HD animals were
significantly lower than those of controls. HD resulted in significant
elevation in total serum cholesterol and LDL levels, whereas HDL and
triglyceride levels were comparable. Plasma total testosterone and
estriol levels did not differ between groups, but their free fraction,
along with sex hormone-binding globulin levels, were significantly
affected. HD also affected the microscopic structure of the ventral
prostate. Epithelial cells of the distal area formed papillary
projections within the acinar lumen and had more cytoplasm than
controls. In most cases, vesicular formations within the cytoplasmic
area were also noted.
CONCLUSIONS Hypercholesterolemia causes marked changes in the ventral
prostate, serum lipid profile, and plasma sex steroid profile in rats
and possibly alters prostate morphology by affecting the sex steroid
axis, thus contributing to prostatic disease pathogenesis. UROLOGY 76:
1517.e1-1517.e5, 2010. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc.
ER -