Adult Levels of Testosterone Induce Prostatic Epithelial Hyperplasia During Mouse Prostate Development Through Puberty.

BACKGROUND: During puberty, androgen levels surge to drive development and maturation of the prostate, a male accessory reproductive organ. The objective of this study is to determine the dose dependent effect of the androgen on the mouse pubertal prostate development. METHODS: Male Blb/C mice were castrated, and various amounts of the androgen were implanted before puberty. The dosage-dependent effect of the androgen on pubertal prostate development was investigated. RESULTS: Mouse prostate development was initiated at the age of 30 days when testosterone reached 550 pg/mL and completed at the age of 60 days when testosterone reached 1,000 pg/mL. The minimal serum testosterone level (800 pg/mL) was required for full development of the prostate. Androgen implantation, before the start of puberty, resulted in a high serum testosterone level (1200 pg/mL), equivalent to that of the physiological adult level, that induced a prostatic epithelial hyperplasia phenotype with an enlarged prostate gland. The high levels of androgen increased epithelial cell proliferation and expression of the androgen receptor-target genes in the pubertal prostate. CONCLUSION: This research provides an important insight into the androgen's effect on prostate development through puberty.