Cell Growth & Differentiation, Vol 7, Issue 11 1563-1570, Copyright © 1996 by American Association of Cancer Research

ARTICLES

The role of vitamin D in normal prostate growth and differentiation

BR Konety, GG Schwartz, JS Acierno Jr, MJ Becich and RH Getzenberg
Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania 15213-2582, USA.

Although increasing data indicate a role for vitamin D in prostate cancer, little is known about the role of this hormone in the noncancerous prostate. We examined the effect of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25 D) on the growth of noncancerous rat prostates in vivo. Rats were castrated and treated with vehicle (controls), 1,25 D, testosterone, or a combination of both hormones for 2 weeks. Histological examination of the harvested prostates revealed that 1,25 D had a selective regressive effect on epithelial cells in treated rats compared to untreated castrated rats and to normal uncastrated rats. However, 1,25 D stimulated stromal growth in the prostate. The mean prostatic weight of the vitamin D-treated rats was twice that of the untreated rats (0.13 +/- SEM 0.005 g versus 0.06 +/- SEM 0.006 g). The histological differences were less marked in the testosterone-supplemented animals. A greater degree of cellular differentiation was observed in the rats treated with testosterone and vitamin D compared to rats that received testosterone supplementation alone. Studies of the nuclear matrix composition revealed differences between the testosterone-supplemented and the testosterone and 1,25 D-treated rat prostates. We conclude that in the absence of testosterone, 1,25 D may exert a growth-promoting effect on the prostatic stroma in vivo. In concert with testosterone, it may play an important role in the growth and differentiation of the normal rat prostate.

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