Age dependency of androgen and estrogen effects on incorporation of (3H)-thymidine by rat prostates in organ culture

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Abstract
Organ culture of the rat ventral prostate has been evaluated as a model for studying the biological effects of androgen agonists, androgen antagonists, and estrogens. Explants were cultured for up to 8 days, and incorporation of (3H)-thymidine and (3H)-uridine by the explants was measured. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) increased the incorporation of (3H)-thymidine/μg DNA when compared with the untreated controls at 4 days, P < .05; and at 6 days, P < .01. Enhanced uptake in explants from 6 to 8-week old rats also was observed with 10 nM estradiol (P < .05) and 10 nM cyproterone acetate (P < .02). DHT (10 nM) caused greater enhancement of uptake in explants from 3-week-old rats than in explants from 6- or 12-week-old rats. In contrast, estradiol (E2) increased incorporation only in prostates from the 6-week-old rats. Since both DHT and E3 can enhance (3H)-thymidine uptake even though they are associated with strikingly different effects on prostate morphology, it suggests that their effects on (3H)-thymidine incorporation are mediated by different cells.