INDUCED HYPERPROLIFERATION IN EPITHELIAL-CELLS OF MOUSE PROSTATE BY AWESTERN-STYLE DIET

In this study the effects of a Western-style diet on epithelial cell p roliferation in the prostate and bladder of C57BL/6J mice were investi gated. The Western-style diet contained increased fat and low calcium and vitamin D, compared with AIN-76A control diet, at levels simulatin g human Western diets based on nutrient density. After feeding the Wes tern-style and AIN-76A diets for 5 and 16 weeks, mice were infused wit h bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) for 72 h using s.c. implanted osmotic pumps . Findings revealed that in bladder epithelium BrdU labeling indices w ere not significantly different (P > 0.05) between mice on the control and Western-style diets at both time periods, However, significant in creases in BrdU labeling indices occurred in epithelial cells of the a nterior (P = 0.024) and dorsal (P = 0.049) lobes, but not in the ventr al lobe (P = 0.21), of the mouse prostate after feeding the Western-st yle diet for 16 weeks, compared with mice on the control diet. These f indings demonstrate Western-style diet induction of epithelial cell hy perproliferation in anterior and dorsal lobes of the mouse prostate. T he findings further suggest that these nutrients may have a role in hu man prostatic carcinogenesis, since the anterior and dorsal lobes of t he mouse prostate are homologous with the human prostate in embryologi cal origin and histological structure and carcinomas induced in rodent models have similar characteristics to those found in human prostatic cancer.