Morphological and morphometric study of the prostate of guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus, Linnaeus, 1758) during postnatal development

The prostate is clinically very important because it plays an important role in the production of sperm and fertilization of the egg, and is frequently affected by diseases, such as prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphology, morphometry, organo-somatic index (SOI), wall thickness and height of the prostate epithelium of guinea pigs at different stages of postnatal development. Based on the results, it was concluded that the prostate of guinea pigs resembles the prostate of Chinchilla laniger (because of similar tubulo-alveolar units), pacas and capybara (because of the presence of highly branched mucosal folds) and humans (because of the secretory epithelium of the simple cubic type). The major changes observed during postnatal development were the significant increases in muscle stroma and the height of the secretory epithelium from late prepubertal until post-pubertal 1, and then a decrease in the post-pubertal 2, which was significant only for the muscle stroma. These results support the need for further studies on the postnatal development and aging of the prostate and substantiate the use of guinea pigs as an experimental model for research on this complex organ.