A new mouse model for prostatic hyperplasia: induction of adult prostatic overgrowth by fetal urogenital sinus implants.

A new mouse model for human BPH has been established. This model was developed on the basis that fetal and adult prostatic cells interact to induce the proliferation of adult prostatic cells. A 10- to 20-fold overgrowth of the adult mouse prostate gland can be induced by implantation of fetal UGS into the adult prostate gland. Components of UGS, fetal UGM, and fetal UGE may be involved in the regulation of adult prostatic overgrowth. The androgen dependency and the specificity (donor tissue, site of implantation, and strain and species) of UGS-induced adult prostatic overgrowth have also been established. The question remains whether the prostatic hyperplasia seen in this mouse model may be representative of human BPH. The observation that fetal UGS implants induce adult prostatic overgrowth in the complete absence of exogenous sex steroids support the hypothesis of McNeal that human BPH may develop as a result of the reactivation of fetal growth potential in the periurethral area of the adult prostate gland. The present mouse model may be used as a test system for the future development of anti-BPH drugs.