In order to evaluate the short term metabolic effects of gossypol on the testes as well as any possible effects on the secondary sex organs, Balb C mice were injected subcutaneously with various doses of gossypol (0.25‐25.0 mg/kg body weight) in corn oil for 10 days. Wet weights of several different secondary sex reproductive organs decreased during gossypol treatment. However, wet weights of the testes during treatment remained equal to or greater than control values. Following 10 days of gossypol treatment, incorporation of [3H]thymidine or [3H]amino acids into trichloroacetic acid precipitable macromolecules was inhibited in the seminal vesicles and ventral prostates normalized to either DNA or wet weight. Treatment with gossypol also had an inhibitory effect on epididymal sperm count at the two highest doses. These results demonstrate that gossypol will decrease sperm count at high dose levels after treatment of male mice for as short as 10 days. However, its overall effects are not limited to the testes and spermatogenesis but, in addition, it has dramatic inhibitory effects on protein and nuclei acid metabolism in the secondary sex organs.

Ο καρκίνος του προστάτη, αποτελεί ένα από τα σπουδαιότερα προβλήματα υγείας και συγκεκριμένα την τρίτη πιο συχνή αιτία θανάτου από καρκίνο στους άνδρες. Ο υποδοχέας ανδρογόνων είναι ένας σημαντικός μοριακός στόχος στη θεραπευτική αντιμετώπιση του καρκίνου του προστάτη. Η επιβίωση και ο πολλαπλασιασμός των καρκινικών προστατικών κυττάρων εξαρτώνται από τη δράση των ανδρογόνων, τουλάχιστον κατά τα πρώιμα στάδια της νόσου. Λόγω αυτής της εξάρτησης, η αποστέρηση των ανδρογόνων αποτελεί την αρχική μέθοδο φαρμακολογικής παρέμβασης για την αντιμετώπιση του καρκίνου του προστάτη. Ωστόσο, παρά την αρχική αποτελεσματικότητα αυτής της προσέγγισης στην καταστολή του όγκου, εκείνος επανακάμπτει εντός δύο ή τριών ετών και εξακολουθεί να αναπτύσσεται ανεξάρτητα από την ύπαρξη ανδρογόνων. Οι υπάρχουσες θεραπευτικές προσεγγίσεις αδυνατούν να προλάβουν την επανεμφάνιση του όγκου. Προς αυτήν την κατεύθυνση, η ανάπτυξη νέων θεραπευτικών παραγόντων με αποτελεσματικότερη αντιανδρογόνο δράση, θα είχε σημαντική αξία στη θεραπεία του καρκίνου του προστάτη. Πρόσφατα, στεροειδικά παράγωγα, τα οποία έφεραν έναν εξαμελή λακταμικό δακτύλιο στη θέση-20 του στεροειδικού σκελετού εμφάνισαν ανασταλτική δράση έναντι του ανδρογονικού υποδοχέα καθώς και έναντι του πολλαπλασιασμού καρκινικών προστατικών κυττάρων. Επίσης, παράλληλες μελέτες της ερευνητικής ομάδας μας έχουν δείξει ότι τροποποιημένα στεροειδικά παράγωγα που έφεραν είτε ενδοκυκλική λακταμική ή εξωκυκλική αμιδική -NHCO- ομάδα, έχουν εμφανίσει εξαιρετική δράση έναντι αιματολογικών νεοπλασιών. Με βάση τα παραπάνω δεδομένα, στα πλαίσια της παρούσας μελέτης πραγματοποιήθηκε ο σχεδιασμός και η σύνθεση νέων 20-αμινοστεροειδών. Συγκεκριμένα επιτεύχθηκε η σύνθεση νέων μορίων που φέρουν ως κύρια δομικά χαρακτηριστικά έναν επταμελή λακταμικό Α-στεροειδικό δακτύλιο και ένα αμινο-υποκατεστημένο στερεογονικό κέντρο (C-20). Το συνθετικό σχήμα που ακολουθήθηκε, περιελάμβανε αρχικά τη διεύρυνση του Α-στεροειδικού δακτυλίου της πρεγνενολόνης μέσω μετάθεσης Beckmann της αντίστοιχης 3-κετοξίμης σε επταμελή λακταμικό δακτύλιο και μετέπειτα τη διαστερεοεκλεκτική μετατροπή της 20-κετο-ομάδας σε αμινο-υποκατεστημένο στερεογονικό κέντρο μέσω νουκλεόφιλης προσθήκης οργανομαγνησιακού αντιδραστηρίου στην αντίστοιχη ενδιάμεση Ν-[t-butyl-σουλφινυλ]-20-ιμίνη. Κατά την εξέλιξη της συνθετικής πορείας διερευνήθηκαν και βελτιστοποιήθηκαν οι πειραματικές συνθήκες των επιμέρους σταδίων. Η αποτίμηση της βιολογικής δράσης των νέων 20-αμινοστεροειδών αναμένεται να αποσαφηνίσει κατά πόσο οι παραπάνω δομικές τροποποιήσεις μπορούν να συμβάλλουν στην εκδήλωση αντιανδρογόνου και αντικαρκινικής δράσης. Παράλληλα, ο στεροειδικός σκελετός των νέων μορίων είναι εφικτό να οδηγήσει σε νέα τροποποιημένα παράγωγα για την εξαγωγή σχέσεων χημικής δομής-βιολογικής δραστικότητας. / Prostate cancer is one of the most important health problems and specifically the third most common cause of death because of cancer in men. The androgen receptor is an important molecular target for the treatment of prostate cancer. The survival and the proliferation of cancer prostatic cells depend on the action of androgens, at least at the early stages of the disease. Because of this dependency, androgen deprivation is the initial method in the pharmacological intervention for the treatment of prostate cancer. However, despite the initial effectiveness of this approach in tumor suppression, the tumor relapses within two or three years and continues to grow regardless the presence of androgens. The existing therapeutic approaches fail to prevent the revival of the tumor. Toward this direction, the development of new therapeutic agents with more effective antiandrogen activity, would have significant value in the treatment of prostate cancer. Recently, steroid derivatives, which carried a six membered lactam ring at C-20 of the steroid skeleton, exhibited inhibitory activity against the androgen receptor and also against the proliferation of prostate cancer cells. Furthermore, parallel studies of our research group have shown that modified steroid derivatives which carried either a lactam or an amide-NHCO-group, have shown excellent activity against haematological malignancies. Based on these data, in this study the design and synthesis of new 20-aminosteroid was achieved. Specifically we achieved the synthesis of new molecules bearing as main structural features one seven membered lactam A-steroid ring and an amino-substituted stereogenic center (C-20). The synthetic approach used, initially involved the pregnenolone A-steroidal ring expansion to a seven membered lactam ring via Beckmann rearrangement of the corresponding 3-ketoxime and then the diastereoselective conversion of the 20-keto group to an amino-substituted stereogenic center via nucleophilic addition of organometallic reagent to the corresponding intermediate N-[t-butyl-sulfinyl]-20-imine. During this process, the experimental conditions of the intermediate synthetic steps were investigated and optimized. The biological evaluation of the new 20-aminosteroids is expected to unravel whether these structural modifications may contribute to antiandrogenic and anticancer activity. Meanwhile, the steroidal skeleton of the new molecules may lead to the development of new modified derivatives for further structure-activity relationship studies.

Endocrine disruption and high occurrences of intersex have been observed in wild fish associated with wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents in the urbanized reaches of the Grand River watershed located in southern Ontario, Canada. WWTP effluent is a complex matrix with diverse aquatic environmental contaminants and stressors. This study aimed to: (1) characterize the spatio-temporal distribution and fate of antiandrogenic personal care products (triclosan, chlorophene, and dichlorophene), along with selected pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, ibuprofen, naproxen, and venlafaxine) and the herbicide, atrazine in the Grand River watershed and (2) model the behaviour of these contaminants in the aquatic environment. Water sampling of 29 sites which covered six municipal WWTPs and ~100 km of river length was completed during summer low flows (July 2012). Monthly samples were also collected immediately upstream and downstream of a major WWTP (Kitchener) from August to November 2012. Many of the target pharmaceuticals and triclosan were detected in WWTP effluents in the Grand River watershed, especially those that did not nitrify (minimal treatment with high ammonia). Chlorophene was either undetected or was only found at trace levels in the effluents. Under low flow conditions, triclosan and several other pharmaceuticals exhibited a spatial pattern where concentrations increased directly downstream of the WWTPs, then decreased with distance downstream (dilution and/or degradation). Chlorophene, in contrast, was not found downstream of most of the WWTP outfalls but was first detected at a site 5 km upstream of a WWTP and then continued with relatively constant concentrations for approximately 29 km downstream. It was also only found during the summer sampling period. Atrazine was consistently found in all sampling locations which reflected the agricultural non-point source nature of this compound. The WASP 7.5 model (US Environmental Protection Agency) was adapted and calibrated to a reach of the Grand River associated with the Kitchener WWTP. The simulation of the fate and transport of the target compounds revealed that flow-driven transport processes (advection and dispersion) greatly influence their behaviour in the aquatic environment. However, fate mechanisms such as biodegradation and photolysis also potentially play an important role in the attenuation of most compounds. The exception was carbamazepine where it was shown to act as a conservative tracer compound for wastewater specific contaminants in the water phase. The fate model developed can be applied in the future to predict the fate of a wide variety of contaminants of emerging concern across the watershed to help define the exposure of these biologically active chemicals to sensitive ecosystems.

Endocrine disruption and high occurrences of intersex have been observed in wild fish associated with wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents in the urbanized reaches of the Grand River watershed located in southern Ontario, Canada. WWTP effluent is a complex matrix with diverse aquatic environmental contaminants and stressors. This study aimed to: (1) characterize the spatio-temporal distribution and fate of antiandrogenic personal care products (triclosan, chlorophene, and dichlorophene), along with selected pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, ibuprofen, naproxen, and venlafaxine) and the herbicide, atrazine in the Grand River watershed and (2) model the behaviour of these contaminants in the aquatic environment. Water sampling of 29 sites which covered six municipal WWTPs and ~100 km of river length was completed during summer low flows (July 2012). Monthly samples were also collected immediately upstream and downstream of a major WWTP (Kitchener) from August to November 2012. Many of the target pharmaceuticals and triclosan were detected in WWTP effluents in the Grand River watershed, especially those that did not nitrify (minimal treatment with high ammonia). Chlorophene was either undetected or was only found at trace levels in the effluents. Under low flow conditions, triclosan and several other pharmaceuticals exhibited a spatial pattern where concentrations increased directly downstream of the WWTPs, then decreased with distance downstream (dilution and/or degradation). Chlorophene, in contrast, was not found downstream of most of the WWTP outfalls but was first detected at a site 5 km upstream of a WWTP and then continued with relatively constant concentrations for approximately 29 km downstream. It was also only found during the summer sampling period. Atrazine was consistently found in all sampling locations which reflected the agricultural non-point source nature of this compound. The WASP 7.5 model (US Environmental Protection Agency) was adapted and calibrated to a reach of the Grand River associated with the Kitchener WWTP. The simulation of the fate and transport of the target compounds revealed that flow-driven transport processes (advection and dispersion) greatly influence their behaviour in the aquatic environment. However, fate mechanisms such as biodegradation and photolysis also potentially play an important role in the attenuation of most compounds. The exception was carbamazepine where it was shown to act as a conservative tracer compound for wastewater specific contaminants in the water phase. The fate model developed can be applied in the future to predict the fate of a wide variety of contaminants of emerging concern across the watershed to help define the exposure of these biologically active chemicals to sensitive ecosystems.

Orientador: Sebastião Roberto Taboga / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-08T20:16:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cordeiro_RenatoSimoes_D.pdf: 4151474 bytes, checksum: 0ee256bf17ee9f60a582294e99e12f0c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: O crescimento normal, a diferenciação e a manutenção da integridade morfofuncional da glândula prostática são dependentes das interações de concentrações constantes de andrógenos com seus receptores. A necessidade de se estudar esta glândula em resposta aos hormônios e o efeito do bloqueio destes, deve-se ao fato da próstata humana ser o sítio de um grande número de doenças relacionadas à idade, sendo que as de maior importância clínica são o câncer prostático e a hiperplasia prostática benigna, as quais podem ser tratadas por estratégias de remoção de andrógenos. Este estudo teve por objetivo a análise imuno-histoquímica do grau de expressão do receptor androgênico (RA) no lóbulo ventral prostático do gerbilo após terapias de bloqueios androgênicos. Setenta e cinco gerbilos machos foram distribuídos, aleatoriamente, em 3 grupos de 25 animais, cada grupo representando uma fase do desenvolvimento pós-natal: jovem, adulto e senil. Em cada fase foi realizada uma análise morfológica e estereológica dos compartimentos prostáticos, bem como a análise imuno-histoquímica da expressão do RA. Além disso, estabeleceu-se a dosagem hormonal das concentrações séricas de testosterona, como método para verificar a relação da quantidade desse andrógeno com a expressão dos RA. Os resultados demonstraram haver um padrão heterogêneo de distribuição dos RA no lóbulo ventral ao longo do desenvolvimento pós-natal, em que quanto mais jovem for o animal maior a interação de andrógenos estimulando a expressão de RA nos compartimentos prostáticos. As terapias de bloqueios androgênicos diminuíram a expressão de RA no lóbulo ventral e a reposição androgênica após esses bloqueios não apresentou o mesmo grau de intensidade de expressão de RA próximo às condições fisiológicas normais. A regulação e a distribuição do RA nos tecidos prostáticos do gerbilo são mecanismos complexos e que, provavelmente, são geneticamente regulados por andrógenos antes do nascimento ou por outros fatores ainda desconhecidos. O gerbilo parece ser um modelo valioso na tentativa de melhorar o conhecimento do comportamento morfofisiológico e patológico dessa importante glândula em humanos ao longo do envelhecimento e da formulação de novas idéias de terapias de combate ao câncer de próstata / Abstract: 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 and benign prostatic hyperplasia, which can both be treated with androgen suppression. The aim of this study was to analyze immunohistochemical degree of expression of androgen receptor (AR) of the ventral lobe of the gerbil prostate during different phases of the postnatal development employing differents treatments for androgen blocking. Seventy-five male gerbils were distributed, randomly, into 3 groups of 25 animals each, where each group corresponded to one phase of postnatal development: young, adult and aged phase. 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 receptor. In addition, it was possible to establish the hormonal dosage of serum testosterone concentrations given the comparative approach of the expression of androgen receptors. There is a heterogeneous pattern of AR distribution in the prostatic ventral lobe throughout postnatal development, in which the younger animal is the higher, the interaction of circulating androgens that stimulate the AR expression in the compartments prostatics. The androgen blockage therapies decreased AR expression in the ventral lobe, but the androgen reposition after these blockages was not showed the same the degree of expression of androgen receptor near normal physiological conditions. The regulation and distribution of AR 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. The gerbil 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 / Doutorado / Biologia Celular / Doutor em Biologia Celular e Estrutural

No description available.

Jia, Lin. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-146). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

Introduction: Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in Sweden and is often treated using antiandrogenic drug therapy. Two substances belonging to this class of pharmaceuticals are bicalutamide and flutamide. After excretion from the human body, the drug molecules enter the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The WWTPs are not effective enough to completely remove pharmaceutical residues, why presence of both bicalutamide and flutamide can be detected in WWTP effluent water. Previous findings: Antiandrogens have been reported to affect reproduction in adult fish, but studies regarding possible effects on the embryonic development of fish are few. Aim: The present study sought to investigate if exposure to bicalutamide or flutamide cause toxicity in the early developmental stages of zebrafish embryos, and whether negative effects occur within concentrations relevant to measured environmental levels. Method: A modified OECD FET-test was used, where additional sublethal endpoints were included and the time period for assessment extended to 144 hours post fertilization (hpf). In addition, a locomotor activity assay was performed at 144 hpf in order to observe any sub-lethal swimming behavioral effects. Results: High doses (10 mg/L) of flutamide led to 100% lethality of the zebrafish embryos but the results suggest no acute toxic effects in the high dose treatment group of bicalutamide, or of either flutamide or bicalutamide within in the low (0.1 mg/L) or intermediate (1 mg/L) treatment groups. Neither did the locomotor activity assay result in statistically significant results, although the pattern of swimming activity in the low dose groups suggests that behavioral developmental effects could be present. Conclusions: High doses of flutamide caused mortality of the embryos, but no lethal or sublethal effects were present at environmentally relevant concentrations. The modest outcome of present study however suggests that further investigation of behavioral developmental effects of antiandrogens could be of future relevance. Analysis of the expression of genes related to neuronal growth, memory and other cognitive behaviors associated with behavioral changes, would then be of interest for further studies.

No description available.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In this work, methods were developed for the determination of antiandrogens in hospital effluent using the analytical technique HPLC-DAD. Microextraction techniques of Spironolactone, Flutamide, Cyproterone and Tamoxifen were investigated: liquid-liquid (LLME) and sorptive extraction (SBSE). For quantification of the analytes in hospital effluent was used solid phase extraction (SPE) with recoveries of 75.0 to 109.0±1.0 to 13.0% in aqueous solution and from 72.0 to 106.0±2.0 to 13.0% in hospital effluent. The average concentrations of analytes in the effluent of emergency (PA) ranged from 0.00 to 11.70 μg L-1 (RSD 0.00 to 11.5%) and of general-HUSM 0.00 to 11.30 μg L-1 (0.00 to 6.78% RSD), respectively. LC-ESI-MS/MS technique was used for fragmentation of the precursor ions, to identify product ions, and for neutral mass loss. LC-ESI-QqLIT-MS/MS was used to identify metabolites and subproducts. STR photoreactor of 800 mL was used for simple photolysis and heterogeneous photocatalysis, and for ozonation, column reactor of 800 mL. Fractional factorial design was applied to the extraction experiments, as well as, to AOPs. UV-radiation was generated by mercury vapor lamp of 125 W and 401 W m-2. Polymer bars of polydimethylsiloxane and polyurethane with TiO2 supported were developed for photocatalysis. Kinetic studies of the degradation reactions were made, subproducts were identified and fragmentation routes proposed. Metabolites were identified in hospital effluent. Preliminary risk analysis revealed that spironolactone has lower environmental risk, and that all analytes except tamoxifen, show PEC value > 0.01 μg L-1. / Neste trabalho foram desenvolvidos métodos para a determinação de antiandrogênios em efluente hospitalar utilizando-se a técnica analítica de HPLC-DAD. Técnicas de microextração de Espironolactona, Flutamida, Ciproterona e Tamoxifeno foram investigadas: líquido-líquido (LLME) e extração sortiva (SBSE). Para a quantificação dos analitos em efluente hospitalar foi usada extração em fase sólida (SPE) com recuperações de 75,0- 109,0±1,0-13,0%, em solução aquosa, e de 72,0-106,0±2,0-13,0%, em efluente hospitalar. As concentrações médias dos analitos no efluente do pronto atendimento (PA) e geral-HUSM variaram de 0,00-11,70 μg L-1 (RSD 0,00-11,5%) e 0,00-11,30 μg L-1 (RSD 0,00-6,78%), respectivamente. A técnica de LC-ESI-MS/MS foi utilizada na fragmentação dos íons precursores, na identificação dos íons-produto e perda de massa neutra. LC-ESI-QqLITMS/ MS foi usada na identificação de metabólitos e no estudo dos subprodutos. Fotorreator STR de 800 mL foi usado para fotólise simples e fotocatálise heterogênea e, para ozonização, reator tipo coluna de 800 mL. Planejamento fatorial fracionado foi aplicado nos experimentos de extração, bem como, de PAOs. Radiação UV foi gerada com lâmpada de vapor de mercúrio de 125 W e 401 W m-2. Barras poliméricas de polidimetilsiloxano e poliuretano com TiO2 suportado foram desenvolvidas para a fotocatálise. Estudos cinéticos das reações de degradação foram feitos, subprodutos foram identificados e rotas de fragmentação propostas. Metabólitos foram identificados no efluente hospitalar. Análise preliminar de risco revelou que a espironolactona apresenta menor risco ambiental e que todos os analitos, exceto tamoxifeno, apresentam valor de PEC > 0,01 μg L-1.