Abstract:
The prostate is a gland commonly affected by proliferative and inflammatory lesions. As pequi (Caryocar brasilense) has shown therapeutic potential, this project aims to analyse the antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory actions of pequi oil in the ventral prostate of gerbil under the influence of testosterone. For this, the animals were divided into the following groups: T (subcutaneous administration of testosterone cypionate); P (pequi oil gavage); T+P (pequi oil and testosterone cypionate); Control (intact animals); CT (T group sham); and CP (group P sham). After animal death, total circulating blood leukocytes were quantified, showing a significant increase in group T compared to control, and a decrease in group T+P compared to group T, but not significant. The total leukocytes quantification in P, CT and CP groups were similar to the control group. The amount of neutrophils was significantly reduced after treatment with pequi oil (group T+P) compared to group T. Subsequently, the prostates were embedded in paraffin for histopathological evaluation. Morphometric analysis showed a slight increase in ventral prostate epithelial height in animals receiving testosterone when compared to controls. However, the animals in the groups that received pequi oil (T+P and P) showed a significant reduction in epithelial height in relation to group T. The evaluation of epithelial cell proliferative activity through Immunohistochemistry for labeling of positive PCNA cells showed that stimulation with testosterone (group T) promoted a significant increase in proliferating cells compared to the control group, and that pequi oil treatment (group T+P) was able to significantly reduce the amount of these cells when compared to group T. Our results show an effective therapeutic effect (anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative) of pequi oil, which is promising, as investigations are being conducted with in view of the development of strategies to reduce the incidence and mortality caused by prostatic injuries with pequi. In addition, these data highlight the importance of preserving Cerrado species, since pequi is a typical plant in this biome and may contribute to raising awareness among government authorities and the general population of the importance of preserving the environment.
