Aluminum disrupts the prenatal development of the male and female gerbil prostate (Meriones unguiculatus).

Normal prostate development is highly dependent of an equilibrated hormonal regulation, so that sensible interferences during this period may predispose the gland to lesions during aging. Industrial activities have increased the exposure of this gland to active elements found in environment, such as aluminum (Al). Al presents toxic effect for living beings, having the potential to disrupt the development and growth of several organs and systems. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether the prenatal exposure to Al may alter the development and morphophysiology of the gerbil prostate (Meriones unguiculatus). Pregnant females were orally exposed to aluminum chloride (100 mg/kg/day) from 17th to 21th gestational day. Following the birth, the male and female pups were euthanized with 1 (PN1) and 90-days-old (PN90). The prostates were collected for biometrical, three-dimensional reconstruction, morphometrical, stereological, and immunohistochemical analysis. Results indicated that Al decreases the body weight of PN1 males and females, and also reduce the anogenital distance of PN1 females. Moreover, Al changed the prostate developmental patterns of PN1 animals, causing an increase in proliferative status and decreasing androgen receptor immunostaining. The results suggest that Al-promoted changes were permanent, since low androgen receptor frequency, increased serum testosterone levels and high proliferation index were observed in adult gerbils. This study demonstrated that body and prostatic changes were more pronounced in females than in males, and that Al performed as an endocrine-disrupting chemical in gerbils.

Endocrine-disrupting effects of methylparaben on the adult gerbil prostate.

Parabens are xenoestrogens widely employed in cosmetics, foodstuffs, and pharmaceutical products. These chemicals are known to disrupt hormone-dependent organs, due to their binding affinity for hormonal receptors. Although recent studies have evaluated the endocrine-disrupting potential of parabens in several reproductive organs, few have investigated the effects of these chemicals in the prostate. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of oral exposure to methylparaben (500 mg/kg/day) for 3, 7, and 21 days on male and female adult gerbil prostate. For this purpose, we employed biometrical, morphological, and immunohistochemical analyses. The results showed that methylparaben caused morphological changes in gerbil prostates in all experimental groups. These animals displayed similar alterations such as prostate epithelial hyperplasia, increased cell proliferation, and a higher frequency of AR-positive cells. However, the prostate of the female gerbil showed additional changes such as stromal inflammatory infiltration, intraepithelial neoplasia foci, and an increase in AR-positive frequency. Altogether, these data show that methylparaben was responsible for disrupting estrogenic and androgenic receptors, suggesting that parabens may have estrogenic and antiandrogenic effects in the prostate.

Intrauterine exposure to bisphenol A promotes different effects in both neonatal and adult prostate of male and female gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus).

Substances that mimic endogenous hormones may alter the cell signaling that govern prostate development and predispose it to developing lesions in adult and senile life. Bisphenol A is able to mimic estrogens, and studies have demonstrated that low levels of exposure to this compound have caused alterations during prostate development. The aim of this study was to describe the prostate development in both male and female neonatal gerbils in normal conditions and under exposure to BPA during intrauterine life, and also to analyze whether the effects of intrauterine exposure to BPA remain in adulthood. Morphological, stereological, three-dimensional reconstruction, and immunohistochemical methods were employed. The results demonstrated that in 1-day-old normal gerbils, the female paraurethral glands and the male ventral lobe are morphologically similar, although its tissue components-epithelial buds (EB), periurethral mesenchyme (PeM), paraurethral mesenchyme (PaM) or ventral mesenchymal pad (VMP), and smooth muscle (SM)-have presented different immunolabeling pattern for androgen receptor (AR), and for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Moreover, we observed a differential response of male and female prostate to intrauterine BPA exposure. In 1-day-old males, the intrauterine exposure to BPA caused a decrease of AR-positive cells in the PeM and SM, and a decrease of the proliferative status in the EB. In contrast, no morphological alterations were observed in ventral prostate of adult males. In 1-day-old females, BPA exposure promoted an increase of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) positive cells in PeM and PaM, a decrease of AR-positive cells in EB and PeM, besides a reduction of cell proliferation in EB. Additionally, the adult female prostate of BPA-exposed animals presented an increase of AR- and PCNA-positive cells. These results suggest that the prostate of female gerbils were more susceptible to the intrauterine BPA effects, since they became more proliferative in adult life. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1740-1750, 2016.

[Susceptibility of six Arabic coffee cultivars to fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritoidea) under shaded and unshaded organic management in Valença, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]. / Susceptibilidade de seis cultivares de café arábica às moscas-das-frutas (Diptera: Tephritoidea) em sistema orgânico com e sem arborização em Valença, RJ.

The infestation indices by fruit flies were determined for six cultivars of Coffea arabica L. in shaded and unshaded systems under organic management. The experiment was set in a completely randomized design with a split-split-plot arrangement and four replicates. A 250g-sample of maturing fruits per plot was harvested in May 2005. The cultivars Icatu Amarelo and Catucaí Amarelo were the least susceptible to attack by tephritids in both systems. As for lonchaeids, Oeiras, Catucaí Amarelo and Catuaí Vermelho were the least susceptible cultivars in the shaded system, and there was no difference among the cultivars in the unshaded system. The following tephritid species were obtained: Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) and A. sororcula Zucchi (Tephritidae). Lonchaeids were represented by Neosilba bifida Strikis & Prado, N. certa (Walker), N. glaberrima (Wiedemann), N. pendula (Bezzi), N. pseudopendula (Korytkowski and Ojeda), Dasiops rugifrons Hennig, Neosilba n.sp.10 and Neosilba n.sp.14.

Susceptibilidade de seis cultivares de café arábica às moscas-das-frutas (Diptera: Tephritoidea) em sistema orgânico com e sem arborização em Valença, RJ / Susceptibility of six arabic coffee cultivars to fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritoidea) under shaded and unshaded organic management in Valença, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Foram determinados os índices de infestação por moscas-das-frutas em seis cultivares de Coffea arabica L. nos sistemas com e sem arborização, sob manejo orgânico. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado com parcelas sub-subdivididas e quatro repetições. Uma amostra de 250 g de frutos maduros por parcela foi colhida em maio de 2005. As cultivares Icatu Amarelo e Catucaí Amarelo mostraram menor susceptibilidade aos tefritídeos, nos dois sistemas de cultivo. Quanto aos lonqueídeos, Oeiras, Catucaí Amarelo e Catuaí Vermelho foram as cultivares menos susceptíveis no sistema arborizado, não havendo diferença entre as cultivares no sistema sem arborização. Dos frutos foram obtidas as seguintes espécies de Tephritidae: Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) e A. sororcula Zucchi (Tephritidae). Os lonqueídeos foram representados por: Neosilba bifida Strikis & Prado, N. certa (Walker), N. glaberrima (Wiedemann), N. pendula (Bezzi), N. pseudopendula (Korytkowski & Ojeda), Dasiops rugifrons Hennig, Neosilba n.sp.10 e Neosilba n.sp.14.

The infestation indices by fruit flies were determined for six cultivars of Coffea arabica L. in shaded and unshaded systems under organic management. The experiment was set in a completely randomized design with a split-split-plot arrangement and four replicates. A 250g-sample of maturing fruits per plot was harvested in May 2005. The cultivars Icatu Amarelo and Catucaí Amarelo were the least susceptible to attack by tephritids in both systems. As for lonchaeids, Oeiras, Catucaí Amarelo and Catuaí Vermelho were the least susceptible cultivars in the shaded system, and there was no difference among the cultivars in the unshaded system. The following tephritid species were obtained: Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) and A. sororcula Zucchi (Tephritidae). Lonchaeids were represented by Neosilba bifida Strikis & Prado, N. certa (Walker), N. glaberrima (Wiedemann), N. pendula (Bezzi), N. pseudopendula (Korytkowski and Ojeda), Dasiops rugifrons Hennig, Neosilba n.sp.10 and Neosilba n.sp.14.

Infestação natural de moscas frugívoras (Diptera: Tephritoidea) em café arábica, sob cultivo orgânico arborizado e a pleno sol, em Valença, RJ / Natural infestation by frugivorous flies (Diptera: Tephritoidea) in shaded and unshaded arabic coffee under organic management in Valença, RJ, Brazil

As moscas frugívoras vêm assumindo grande importância econômica em cafezais por provocarem queda prematura de frutos e redução significativa da qualidade da bebida. O café é um repositório natural de espécies de Tephritidae que infestam frutas de importância econômica. Este estudo avaliou a influência dos sistemas de café sombreado e a pleno sol, sob manejo orgânico, na infestação natural de frutos de Coffea arabica L. Icatu Amarelo por moscas frugívoras. Um experimento inteiramente casualizado foi instalado em Valença, RJ, com dois tratamentos (café sombreado com Musa sp. e Erithrina verna Vell. e solteiro a pleno sol) e quatro repetições. Uma amostra de 1 kg de frutos maduros por parcela foi colhida em março de 2004 para avaliar a infestação e identificar as espécies infestantes. O índice médio de infestação dos frutos foi significativamente maior no sistema sombreado. Quatro espécies de Tephritidae (Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann), Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart) e Anastrepha sororcula Zucchi) e seis de Lonchaeidae (Neosilba pendula (Bezzi), Neosilba pseudopendula (Korytkowski and Ojeda), Neosilba certa (Walker), Neosilba glaberrima (Wiedemann), Neosilba n.sp.9 e Neosilba n.sp.10) foram obtidas dos frutos de café. Nove espécies de parasitóides foram identificadas, das quais seis pertencem a Braconidae (Asobara anastrephae (Muesebeck), Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti), Doryctobracon brasiliensis (Szépligeti), Utetes anastrephae (Viereck), Opius bellus Gahan e Opius sp.) e três a Figitidae (Aganaspis pelleranoi (Brèthes), Dicerataspis flavipes (Kieffer) e Odontosema anastrephae Borgmeier). A percentagem de parasitismo total foi de 8,8 por cento e 12,4 por cento em café sombreado e a pleno sol, respectivamente.

Frugivorous flies have been acquiring great economic importance in coffee crop because they cause premature dropping of coffee beans and significantly decrease the quality of the beverage. The coffee plant is also a natural reservoir of Tephritidae species that infest fruits of economic importance. This study evaluated the influence of the shaded and unshaded coffee systems, under organic management, on the natural infestation of fruits of Coffea arabica L. var. Icatu Amarelo by frugivorous flies. An experiment in completely randomized design was carried out in Valença, RJ, Brazil, with two treatments (shaded coffee with Musa sp. and Erithrina verna Vell. and unshaded coffee monoculture) and four replicates. A 1kg-sample of maturing fruits per plot was harvested in Mach 2004 to evaluate infestation and identify the flies. The mean infestation index was significantly higher in the shaded coffee system. Four species of Tephritidae (Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann), Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart) and Anastrepha sororcula Zucchi), and six of Lonchaeidae (Neosilba pendula (Bezzi), Neosilba pseudopendula (Korytkowski and Ojeda), Neosilba certa (Walker), Neosilba glaberrima (Wiedemann), Neosilba n.sp.9 and Neosilba n.sp.10) were recovered from coffee fruits. Nine parasitoid species were obtained, six belonging to Braconidae (Asobara anastrephae (Muesebeck), Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti), Doryctobracon brasiliensis (Szépligeti), Utetes anastrephae (Viereck), Opius bellus Gahan and Opius sp.), and three to Figitidae (Aganaspis pelleranoi (Brèthes), Dicerataspis flavipes (Kieffer) and Odontosema anastrephae Borgmeier). The total percent parasitism was 8.8 percent and 12.4 percent in the shaded and unshaded coffee systems, respectively.