Objective: To investigate the effects of high-dose estrogen on the development of the prostate in new-born SD rats and its possible relationship with the sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway.
Methods: One hundred new-born male SD rat pups were assigned to an experimental group, subcutaneously injected with 25 microg Estradiol + 25 microl corn oil vehicle, and a control group, given corn oil alone, on postnatal day (PD) 0, 1, 3 and 5. The animals were sacrificed by decapitation and their prostates removed on PD 1, 6, 10, 20 and 30. The morphological changes of the prostate were observed by HE staining, and SHH signaling related molecules were detected by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription PCR.
Results: High-dose estrogen significantly inhibited the organogenesis of the new-born SD rat prostate and down-regulated the expressions of SHH signaling related molecules.
Conclusion: High-dose estrogen may restrain the development of the prostate in new-born SD rats via inhibition of SHH signaling.