Subchronic intake of arsenic at environmentally relevant concentrations causes histological lesions and oxidative stress in the prostate of adult Wistar rats

The prostate gland is one of the main sites of hyperplasia and cancer in elderly men. Numerous factors have been demonstrated to disrupt prostate homeostasis, including exposure to environmental pollutants. Arsenic is a metalloid found ubiquitously in soil, air, and water, which favors human poisoning through the involuntary intake of contaminated drinking water and food and has harmful effects by increasing the oxidative stress response. This study aimed to investigate the effects of prolonged exposure to arsenic at environmentally relevant concentrations on the prostate biology of adult Wistar rats. Thirty 80-day-old male rats were divided into three experimental groups. Rats from the control group received filtered water, whereas animals from the arsenic groups ingested 1 mg L⁻¹ and 10 mg L⁻¹ of arsenic, in the form of sodium arsenite, daily. The arsenic solutions were provided ad libitum in the drinking water for eight weeks. Our results showed that 1 mg L⁻¹ and 10 mg L⁻¹ of arsenic made the prostate susceptible to evolving benign and premalignant histopathological changes. While the ingestion of 1 mg L⁻¹ of arsenic reduced SOD activity only, 10 mg L⁻¹ diminished SOD and CAT activity in the prostate tissue, culminating in high MDA production. These doses, however, did not affect the intraprostatic levels of DHT and estradiol. In conclusion, exposure to arsenic at environmentally relevant concentrations through drinking water induces histological and oxidative stress-related changes in the prostate of adult rats, strengthening the between arsenic exposure and prostate disorders.