ABSTRACT
The prostate is one of the male accessory glands that contributes to seminal fluid. The prostate ducts begin forming as epithelial buds at about 10 weeks of gestation in humans and gestation day 17 in mice. An important and as-yet-unanswered question in prostate development is the identity of the paracrine factor(s), or andromedins, that induce epithelial development. There is considerable evidence for estrogen responsiveness of the prostate in rodents and other mammals. Chemicals used as pesticides, such as methoxychlor, stimulate enlargement of the prostate as a result of exposure to very low, environmentally relevant doses during development. Exposure to supplemental estrogen in adulthood has been related to hyperplasia of the prostate in dogs and dysplasia and neoplasia in Noble rats. There is little or no information concerning the issue of whether prostate enlargement in men might be related to exposure during fetal life to estrogenic chemicals.
