Detection of Membrane Androgen-Binding Site in Living Rat Prostate and Evaluation of Its Role in Prostate Blood Flow Regulation

    April 2010 in “ The Journal of Urology ”
    Yasuhiro Shibata, Seiji Arai, Bunzo Kashiwagi, Kazuto Ito, Sato Honma, Kazuhiro Suzuki
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    TLDR The research found that androgens help control blood flow in the rat prostate through a specific binding site.
    The study, involving 7 castrated adult male Wistar rats, demonstrated the presence of a membrane androgen-binding site in the prostate gland and its role in regulating prostate blood flow. The rats were injected with a membrane-impermeable testosterone conjugate (BSA-FITC-T), which led to a significant increase in prostate blood flow that was blocked by the anti-androgen bicalutamide. This suggests that androgens may regulate prostate blood flow through a non-classical signaling pathway, as indicated by the rapid response and the inhibition by bicalutamide.
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