Aim: To evaluate the effect of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and vitamin C on ventral prostatic antioxidant system in adult male rats. Methods: A group of 20 adult male rats were administered ip Aroclor 1254 in corn oil at a dose of 2 mg·kg-1·day-1 for 30 days. Ten control rats were administered only the vehicle. After 30 days the treated rats were divided at random into 2 sub-groups of 10 animals each. One sub-group received vitamin C at a dose of 500 mg·kg-1·day-1 for 10 days. The other group was maintained as Aroclor 1254 control. Twenty-four hours after the last treatment the rats were killed by decapitation. Ventral prostatic homogenate was prepared and used for the estimation of enzymatic antioxidants, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), lipid peroxidation (LPO) and prostatic acid phosphatase. The serum levels of total T3, total T4, TSH, testosterone and estradiol were also assayed. Results: The body weight and ventral prostatic weight were reduced in PCB treated rats. The activities of SOD, CAT, GST and acid phosphatase were decreased while the levels of H2O2 and lipid peroxidation were increased in the ventral prostate of PCB treated rats. Administration of vitamin C restored these parameters. Serum levels of thyroid hormones, estradiol and testosterone were decreased in PCB treated animals. Administration of vitamin C restored the thyroid hormone levels. Conclusion: PCB induces oxidative stress and decreases the antioxidant enzymes in the ventral prostate of adult male rats; the effects could be reversed by the administration of vitamin C
    
    

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