The normal growth, differentiation and maintenance of the morphofunctional integrity of the prostate gland are dependent on the interaction of constant levels of androgens with their receptors. The need to study the responses to hormones under several conditions and the effect of their blockage is due to the fact that the human prostate is the site of a great number of age-related diseases, and the ones with a major medical importance are prostate cancer (CaP) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which can both be treated with androgen suppression. Seventy-five male gerbils were divided, randomly, into 3 groups of 25 animals each, where each group corresponded to one phase of postnatal development. In each phase, it was possible to morphologically and stereologically analyze the compartments of prostatic ventral lobe, as well as to immunohistochemically analyze the degree of expression of androgen receptors (ARs) after the androgen blockage therapies. In addition, it was possible to establish the hormonal dosage of serum testosterone levels given the comparative approach of the expression of androgen receptors. There is a pattern of AR distribution in the prostatic ventral lobe throughout postnatal development, in which the younger the animal is the higher, the interaction of circulating androgens that stimulate the AR expression in both the epithelial and stromal compartments. The androgen blockage therapies decreased AR expression in the prostatic compartments, but the androgen reposition after these blockages was not sufficient to recover the glandular structure or stimulate the AR expression up to normal physiological conditions. Both the regulation and distribution of androgen receptors along the gerbil prostatic tissues are complex mechanisms that are likely to be genetically regulated by androgens prenatally or by other factors that are still unknown. This rodent species seems to be a valuable model in the attempt to improve the understanding of the morphophysiological and pathological behavior of this important gland in humans throughout aging and to stimulate new therapeutic ideas to fight prostate cancer. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.39813121324Antoniolli, E., Della-Colleta, H.H.M., Carvalho, H.F., Smooth muscle cell behavior in the ventral prostate of castrated rats (2004) J. Androl., 25 (1), pp. 50-56Banerjee, P.P., Banerjee, S., Brown, T.R., Increased androgen receptor expression correlates with development of age-dependent, lobe-specific spontaneous hyperplasia of the brown Norway rat prostate (2001) Endocrinology, 142 (9), pp. 4066-4075Berthold, D.R., Moore, M.J., Novel targets in prostate cancer (2006) Expert Opin. Ther. Target, 10 (5), pp. 777-780Bonkhoff, H., Remberger, K., Differentiation pathways and histogenetic aspects of normal and abnormal prostatic growth: a stem cell model (1996) Prostate, 28, pp. 98-106Brum, I.S., Spritzer, P.M., Brentani, M.M., Biologia Molecular das Neoplasias de Próstata (2005) Arq. Bras. Endocrinol. Metab., 49 (5), pp. 797-804Buchanan, G., Irvine, R.A., Coetzee, G.A., Tilley, W.D., Contribution of the androgen receptor to prostate cancer predisposition and progression (2001) Cancer Metastasis Rev., 20, pp. 207-223Carvalho, H.F., Line, S.R.P., Basement membrane associated changes in the rat ventral prostate following castration (1996) Cell Biol. Int., 20, pp. 809-819Carvalho, H.F., Taboga, S.R., Vilamaior, P.S.L., Collagen type VI is a component of the extracellular matrix microfibril network of the prostatic stroma (1997) Tissue Cell, 29, pp. 163-170Carvalho, H.F., Vilamaior, P.S.L., Taboga, S.R., Elastic system of the rat ventral prostate and its modifications following orchiectomy (1997) Prostate, 32, pp. 27-34Chan, T.Y., Mikolajczyk, S.D., Lecksell, K., Shue, M.J., Rittenhouse, H.G., Partin, A.W., Epstein, J.I., Immunohistochemical staining of prostate cancer with monoclonal antibodies to the precursor of prostate-specific antigen (2003) Urology, 62 (1), pp. 177-181Cordeiro, R.S., Scarano, W.R., Góes, R.M., Taboga, S.R., Tissue alterations in the guinea pig lateral prostate following antiandrogen flutamide therapy (2004) BioCell, 28 (1), pp. 21-30Corradi, L.S., Góes, R.M., Carvalho, H.F., Taboga, S.R., Inhibition of 5-α-reductase activity induces stromal remodeling and smooth muscle de-differentiation in adult gerbil ventral prostate (2004) Differentiation, 72 (5), pp. 198-208Culing, Z., Hobisch, A., Cronauer, M.V., Androgen receptor activation in prostatic tumor cell lines by insulin-like growth factor-I, keratinocyte growth factor, and epidermal growth factor (1994) Cancer Res., 54, pp. 5474-5478Cunha, G.R., Bigsby, R.M., Coople, P.S., Sugimura, Y., Stromal-epithelial interactions in adult organs (1985) Cell Diff., 17, pp. 137-148Cunha, G.R., Hayward, S.W., Dahiya, R., Foster, B.A., Smooth muscle-epithelial interactions in normal and neoplastic prostatic development (1996) Acta Anat., 155, pp. 63-72Dehm, S.M., Tindall, D.J., Molecular regulation of androgen action in prostate câncer (2006) J. Cell. Biochem., 99, pp. 333-344Dounjacour, A.A., Cunha, G.R., The effect of androgen deprivation on branching morphogenesis in the mouse prostate (1988) Dev. Biol., 128, pp. 1-14Farla, P., Hersmus, R., Trapman, J., Houtsmuller, A.B., Antiandrogens prevent stable DNA-binding of the androgen receptor (2005) J. Cell Sci., 118, pp. 4187-4198Feldman, B.J., Feldman, D., The development of androgen-independent prostate cancer (2001) Nat. Rev. Cancer, 1, pp. 34-45Foster, P.M.D., Harris, M.W., Changes in androgen-mediated reproductive development in male rat offspring following exposure to a single oral dose of flutamide at different gestational ages (2005) Toxicol. Sci., 85, pp. 1024-1032Gail, S.P., Lynn, B., Geoffrey, L.G., Androgen receptor localization in different cell types of the adult rat prostate (1991) Endocrinology, 129 (6), pp. 3187-3199Galbraith, S.M., Duchesne, G.M., Androgens and prostate cancer: biology, pathology and hormonal therapy (1997) Eur. J. Cancer, 33 (4), pp. 545-554Gao, W., Kim, J., Dalton, J.T., Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of nonsteroidal androgen receptor ligands (2006) Pharm. Res., 23 (8), pp. 1641-1658Goto, K., Koizumi, K., Takauri, H., Fojii, Y., Furuyama, Y., Saika, H., Suzuki, H., Suzuki, K., Effects of flutamide on sex maturation behavior of offspring born to male rats treated during late pregnancy (2004) J. Toxicol. Sci., 29 (5), pp. 517-534Grossmann, M.E., Huang, H., Tindall, D.J., Androgen receptor signaling in androgen-refractory prostate cancer (2001) J. Natl. Cancer Inst., 93 (22), pp. 1687-1697Hayashi, N., Sugimura, Y., Kamamura, J., Doncajour, A.A., Cunha, G.R., Morphological and functional heterogeneity in the rat prostatic gland (1991) Biol. Reprod., 45, pp. 308-321Hayward, S.W., Rosen, M.A., Cunha, G.R., Stromal-epithelial interactions in the normal and neoplasic prostate (1997) Br. J. Urol., 79 (SUPPL. 2), pp. 18-26Heinlein, C.A., Chang, C., Androgen receptor in prostate cancer (2004) Endocr. Rev., 25 (2), pp. 276-308Horsfall, D.J., Mayne, K., Ricciardelli, C., Rao, M., Skinner, J.M., Henderson, D.W., Marshall, V.R., Tilley, W.D., Age-related changes in guinea pig prostatic stroma (1994) Lab. Invest., 70, pp. 753-763Hudson, D.L., Guy, A.T., Fry, P., O'hare, M.J., Watt, F.M., Masters, J.N.R., Epithelial cell differentiation pathways in the human prostate: identification of intermediate phenotypes by keratin expression (2001) J. Histochem. Cytochem., 49 (2), pp. 271-278Hughes, I.A., Lim, H.N., Martin, H., Mongan, N.P., Dovey, L., Ahmed, S.F., Hawkins, J.R., Developmental aspects of androgen action (2001) Mol. Cell. Endocrinol., 185, pp. 33-41Huttunen, E., Romppanen, T., Helminen, H.J., A histoquantitative study on the effects of castration on the rat ventral prostate lobe (1981) J. Anat., 132, pp. 357-370Leav, I., Schelling, K.H., Adams, J.Y., Merck, F.B., Alroy, J., Role of canine basal cells in postnatal prostatic development, induction of hyperplasia, and sex-hormone-stimulated growth, and ductal origin of carcinoma (2001) Prostate, 48, pp. 210-224Lee, D.K., Chang, C., Expression and degradation of androgen receptor: mechanism and clinical implication (2003) J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., 88 (9), pp. 4043-4054Marker, P.C., Donjacour, A.A., Dahiya, R., Cunha, G.R., Hormonal, cellular and molecular control of prostatic development (2003) Dev. Biol., 253, pp. 165-174Mirosevich, J., Bentel, J.M., Zeps, N., Redmound, S.L., D'antuono, M.F., Dawkins, H.J.S., Androgen receptor expression of proliferating basal and luminal cells in adult murine ventral prostate (1999) J. Endocrinol., 162, pp. 341-350Miyata, K., Yabushita, S., Sano, M., Miyashita, K., Okuno, Y., Matsuo, M., Effects of perinatal exposure to flutamide on sex hormonal responsiveness in F1 male rats (2003) J. Toxicol. Sci., 28 (3), pp. 149-163Nemeth, J.A., Lee, C., Prostatic ductal system in rats: regional variation in stromal organization (1996) Prostate, 28, pp. 124-128O'neill, A.J., Boran, S.A., O'keane, C., Coffey, R.N.T., Hegarty, N.J., Hegarty, P., Gaffney, E.F., Watson, R.W.G., Caspase 3 expression in benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate carcinoma (2001) Prostate, 47, pp. 183-188Paris, F., Weinbauer, G.F., Blüm, V., Nieschlag, E., The effect of androgen and antiandrogens on the immunohistochemical localization of the androgen receptor in accessory reproductive organs of male rats (1994) J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol., 48, pp. 129-137Peehl, D.M., Cellular biology of prostatic growth factors (1996) Prostate, 6 (SUPPL), pp. 74-78Powell, S.M., Brooke, G.N., Whitaker, H.C., Reebye, V., Gamble, S.C., Chotai, D., Dart, D.A., Bevan, C.L., Mechanisms of androgen receptor repression in prostate cancer (2006) Biochem. Soc. Trans., 34 (PART 6), pp. 1124-1127Prins, G.S., Birch, L., Greene, G., Androgen receptor localization in different cell type of the adult rat prostate (1991) Endocrinology, 129 (6), pp. 3187-3199Prins, G.S., Birch, L., Immunocytochemical analysis of androgen receptor along the ducts of the separate rat prostate lobes after androgen withdrawal and replacement (1993) Endocrinology, 132, pp. 169-178Prins, G.S., Cooke, P.S., Birch, L., Androgen receptor expression and 5α-reductase activity along the proximal-distal axis of the rat prostatic duct (1992) Endocrinology, 130, pp. 3066-3073Prins, G.S., Woodham, C., Autologous regulation of androgen receptor messenger ribonucleic acid in the separate lobes of the rat prostate gland (1995) Biol. Reprod., 53, pp. 609-619Raghow, S., Kuliyev, E., Steakley, M., Greenberg, N., Steiner, M.S., Efficacious chemoprevention of primary prostate cancer by flutamide in an autochthonous transgenic model (2000) Cancer Res., 60, pp. 4093-4097Rochel, S.S., Bruni-Cardoso, A., Taboga, S.R., Vilamaior, P.S., Góes, R.M., Lobe identity in the Mongolian gerbil prostatic complex: a new rodent model for prostate study (2007) Anat. Rec. (Hoboken), 290 (10), pp. 1233-1247Ruijter, E., Van De Kaa, C., Miller, G., Ruiter, D., Debruyne, F., Schalken, J., Molecular genetics and epidemiology of prostate carcinoma (1999) Endocrinol. Rev., 20 (1), pp. 22-45Sanchez, D., Rosell, D., Honorato, B., Lopez, J., Arocena, J., Sanz, G., Androgen receptor mutations are associated with Gleason score in localized prostate cancer (2006) BJU Int., 98 (6), pp. 1320-1325Santos, F.C.A., Carvalho, H.F., Góes, R.M., Taboga, S.R., Ultrastructural characterization of secretory cell in the gerbil female prostate (2003) Tissue Cell, 34, pp. 273-282Shulz, W.A., Burchard, T.M., Cronauer, M.V., Molecular biology of prostate cancer (2003) Mol. Hum. Reprod., 9 (8), pp. 437-448Signoretti, S., Waltrengny, D., Dilks, J., Isaac, B., Lin, D., Garraway, L., Yang, A., Loda, M., P63 is a prostate basal cell marker and is required for prostate development (2000) Am. J. Pathol., 157 (6), pp. 1769-1775Singh, P., Uzgare, A., Litvinov, I., Denmeade, S.R., Isaacs, J.T., Combinatorial androgen receptor targeted therapy for prostate cancer (2006) Endocr. Relat. Cancer, 13, pp. 653-666Singh, S.M., Gauthier, S., Labrie, F., Androgen receptor antagonists (antiandrogens): structure-activity relationships (2000) Curr. Med. Chem., 7, pp. 211-247Steers, W.D., 5alpha-reductase activity in the prostate (2001) Urology, 58 (6 SUPPL. 1), pp. 17-24Sugimura, Y., Cunha, G.R., Donjacour, A.A., Morphogenesis of ductal networks in the mouse prostate (1986) Biol. Reprod., 34, pp. 961-971Sweat, S.D., Pacelli, A., Bergstralh, E.J., Slezak, J.M., Bostwick, D., Androgen receptor expression in prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer (1999) J. Urol., 161, pp. 1229-1232Takeda, H., Chodak, G., Mutchnik, S., Nakamoto, T., Chang, C., Immunohistochemical localization of androgen receptors with mono and polyclonal antibodies to androgen receptor (1990) J. Endrocrinol., 126, pp. 17-25Taplin, M.E., Ho, S.M., The endocrinology of prostate cancer (2001) J. Clin. Endocr. Metab., 86 (8), pp. 3467-3477Thomson, A.A., Foster, B.A., Cunha, G.R., Analyses of growth factor and receptor mRNA levels during development of the rat seminal vesicle and prostate (1997) Development, 124, pp. 2431-2439Tilley, W.D., Horsfall, D.J., Mcgee, M.A., Henderson, D.W., Marshall, V.R., Distribution of oestrogen and androgen receptors between the stroma and epithelium of the guinea-pig prostate (1985) J. Steroid Biochem., 22 (6), pp. 713-719Titus, M.A., Schell, M.J., Lih, F.B., Tomer, K.B., Mohler, J.L., Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone tissue levels in recurrent prostate cancer (2005) Clin. Cancer Res., 11 (13), pp. 4653-4657Van Leenders, G.J.L.H., Schalken, J.A., Epithelial cell differentiation in the human prostate epithelium: implications for the pathogenesis and therapy of prostate cancer (2003) Crit. Rev. Oncol./Hematol., 46 (1), pp. 3-10Vilamaior, P.S.L., Felisbino, S.R., Taboga, S.R., Carvalho, H.F., Collagen fiber reorganization in the rat ventral prostate following androgen deprivation: an possible role for the smooth muscle cells (2000) Prostate, 45, pp. 253-258Vilamaior, P.S.L., Taboga, S.R., Carvalho, H.F., Postnatal growth of the ventral prostate in Wistar rats: a stereological and morphometrical study (2006) Anat. Rec., 288, pp. 885-892Weibel, E.R., Principles and methods for the morphometric study of the lung and other organs (1963) Lab. Invest., 12, pp. 131-155Wernet, N., Gerdes, J., Loy, V., Seitz, G., Scherr, O., Dhom, G., Investigations of the estrogen (ER-ICA-test) and progesterone receptor in the prostate and prostatic carcinoma on immunohistochemical basis (1988) Virchows Arch. Pathol., 412, pp. 387-391Wilson, R.P., Bruchovsky, N., Shnitka, T.K., Rennie, P.S., Comeau, T.L., Stromal 5α-reductase activity is elevated in benign prostatic hyperplasia (1980) Acta Endocrinol., 94, pp. 284-288Zhao, G.Q., Holterhus, P.M., Dammshauser, I., Hoffbauer, G., Aümuller, G., Estrogen-induced morphological and immunohistochemical changes in stroma and epithelium of rat ventral prostate (1994) Prostate, 21, pp. 183-199