Gene Expression Patterns of the Endogenous Antioxidant Enzymes in Linuron-Treated Rat Ventral Prostates after Castration

Linuron is a pesticide with a weak anti-androgenic property, which impacts male reproductive organs. In this study, to clarify whether linuron affects the cellular antioxidant system of ventral prostate, gene expression patterns of the representative antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), selenoprotein P (SePP), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were investigated in the rat ventral prostates exposed to linuron using real-time RT-PCR analyses. Sprague-Dawley rats castrated at 6 weeks old were treated with linuron (25, 50, or 100 mg/kg per oral) daily for 10 days after testosterone propionate administration (0.4 mg/kg) subcutaneously. As compared to normal control animals, mRNA levels of phospholipid hydroperoxide GPx (PHGPx), SePP, and Mn SOD significantly increased in the prostates exposed to linuron (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg). However, cytosolic GPx (100 mg/kg) and Cu/Zn SOD (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) mRNA levels significantly decreased in the ventral prostates. These results indicate that linuron upregulates the expressions of PHGPx, SePP, and Mn SOD mRNAs, but down-regulates the expressions of cytosolic GPx and Cu/Zn SOD in rat prostates, suggesting that linuron may have dual effects in the cellular antioxidant system of prostate.