الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract The prostate gland, an androgen-dependent organ, plays a crucial role in male fertility. Castration is commonly applied for several purposes. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the histological characteristics of the prostate gland, prostatic ultrasound, and blood testosterone levels after (unilateral and bilateral) surgical castration of adult male dogs. Twenty-one apparently healthy male mongrel dogs weighing between 18–20 kg and aged between12–24 months, were divided into three main groups, group I-Non-Castrated (Control), group II- Unilateral Castrated group, and group III- Bilateral Castrated group. Then, groups II & III were further subdivided into three subgroups representing 10-, 20- and 30 days after surgery. The blood testosterone test and prostate ultrasound were performed on day-0, 10, 20, and 30 after castration. Prostatic tissues were excised at the designated time of each group followed by histological, histochemical, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and morphometric procedures. The bilateral orchiectomy resulted in a rapid decline in serum testosterone levels accompanied by significant prostatic histological alterations that progressed throughout time after surgery. The main findings were significant reduction of the epithelial heights which progressed by loss of secretory epithelium and apoptosis. Also, apparent decrease in the immunostaining affinity of androgen receptors (AR). Furthermore, there was marked thickening of the interstitium, characterized by a significant increase in collagen percentage and decrease of α-SMA immunoexpression. In contrast, unilateral castration preserves the integrity of the prostatic tissue. In conclusion, bilateral castration causes histological changes in prostatic architecture along with depletion of blood testosterone levels. While unilateral procedure conserves the prostatic tissue beside the normal levels of blood androgen. |