Uso da análise fractal como ferramenta na avaliação da remodelação tecidual prostática em ratos consumidores voluntários de etanol (UChB) e submetidos à terapia androgênica

Abstract

Alcohol has been widely used by society for centuries and its harmful use has a great influence in the aggravation of diseases, also, it generates social and economic burdens. Several studies have shown that excessive consumption of ethanol results in different morphophysiological changes in the male reproductive system, in humans and in animal models, leading to functional deficiencies. One of the effects of ethanol is the decrease in testosterone concentration, and hormonal therapies are an alternative to minimize changes resulting from chronic alcoholism. The histopathological changes as result of ethanol consumption has been reported by the scientific literature by using quantitative methods. This work proposes assessing them with quantitative and non-subjective methods. Therefore, fractal analysis arises as a useful tool, aiming to identify and quantify tissue changes in animals, submitted or not to hormonal therapy with testosterone, that voluntarily consume ethanol. For this porpuse, fractal analysis was performed on slides submitted to staining with Hematoxylin-Eosin and Picrossirius. In addition, the relative volume of collagen in slides stained with Picrossirius and the immunolocation of type I and type III collagen in the prostatic stroma was quantified through immunohistochemical analysis. The animals submitted to chronic alcoholism showed an increase in the fractal dimension, related to the greater tissue disorganization found in these animals. Regarding the prostatic stroma, the fractal dimension and the quantification of collagen revealed lower values in animals that were just submitted to androgenic therapy. Immunohistochemistry, in general, showed bundles of type I collagen that were denser and more dispersed throughout the prostatic stroma, in contrast to the thinner type III collagen and located around the prostatic acini. Thus, we can conclude that fractal analysis presented itself as a useful tool, corroborating with the other histopathological techniques used