Chronic effects of short-term aerobic and anaerobic physical training on the ventral prostate of adult rats

AimsTo analyze the chronic effects of short-term aerobic and anaerobic physical training on prostate compartments, extracellular matrix, microvascularization, TGF{beta}, cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and macrophage immunostaining, and ventral prostate histopathology in adult rats. Main methodsFifteen male rats (90 days old) were divided into three groups (n = 5/group): sedentary, aerobic (AE) (swimming), and anaerobic physical training (AN) (jumping), performed three days per week, for 8-weeks. The animals were sacrificed within 21 weeks of age. The ventral prostate was collected, weighed, and processed for histological and immunohistochemical analyses. Key findingsOur results show that AE increases blood capillaries and reduces the percentage and increases the thickness of smooth muscle. AN promotes increased iNOS levels in the prostatic tissue, and both modalities reduce TGF{beta} and elastic fibers, in addition to being protective against benign prostatic hyperplasia and atrophy. SignificanceDifferent physical training modalities can activate specific mechanisms that modify the prostate environment.