Combined Oral Contraceptives Promote Androgen Receptor And Estrogen Receptor Alpha Upregulation In The Female Prostate (Skene’s Paraurethral Glands) Of Adult Gerbils (Meriones Unguiculatus)
January 2018
in “
Reproduction, Fertility and Development
”
cyproterone acetate ethinyloestradiol androgen receptor oestrogen receptor alpha epithelial atrophy glandular hyperplasia cell proliferation prostatic lesions prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia cell degeneration antiandrogenic effects oestrogenic activity vagina urethra MGMT immunoreactivity DNA repair prostatic disorders CPA EE AR ERα
TLDR Birth control pills increase certain receptor activities in female gerbil prostate glands and can lead to prostate changes.
In the 2018 study involving 40 adult female gerbils, researchers examined the effects of cyproterone acetate (CPA), ethinyloestradiol (EE), and their combination on the female prostate. CPA alone caused epithelial atrophy and decreased secretory activity, while EE alone led to glandular hyperplasia and increased cell proliferation, as well as heightened androgen and oestrogen receptor (AR and ERα) immunoreactivity. The combined treatment resulted in increased cell proliferation, higher AR and ERα immunoreactivity, and the development of prostatic lesions, including prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and cell degeneration. The study concluded that while CPA had antiandrogenic effects and EE had oestrogenic activity, the combination of both led to more pronounced alterations in the prostate, vagina, and urethra, with EE's effects dominating and stimulating lesion development in the female gerbil prostate. Increased MGMT immunoreactivity, associated with DNA repair and prostatic disorders, was also observed with the combined treatment.
