Co-exposure to arsenic and nickel alters the morphology and oxidative status of the ventral prostate of Wistar rats.

Arsenic and nickel are toxic chemicals with the capability to accumulate in tissues and cause various health problems, including reproductive disorders. There is no information on whether the mixture of those two chemicals may intensify prostate damage in rats. Therefore, this study aimed to verify the effects of arsenic and nickel exposure on the rat ventral prostate, using histological, biochemical, molecular, and hormonal approaches. Forty Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n = 10/group). Control rats received saline solution in drinking water, whereas rats from the exposed groups ingested arsenic (1 mg L-1), nickel (7 mg L-1), and the two metals simultaneously at the same concentrations. After 70 days of treatment, the ventral prostate was collected, dissected, and processed for microscopic and biochemical analyses. Arsenic-exposed rats showed high estradiol and protein carbonyl levels, arsenic and iron content, and low percentage of collagen fiber I in their ventral prostate. Nickel-exposed rats presented high nickel and iron content, cell and cytoplasmic area, epithelial height, and low zinc proportion. Co-exposed rats exhibited most of the alterations observed here, involving oxidative imbalance, protein oxidation, low collagen fiber content, and high mast cell count. The co-exposure induced inflammatory foci, hyperplasia, and glandular atrophy in the ventral prostate. The in silico analysis revealed metal interactions with cancer, cell cycle, and oxidative stress proteins. Summarizing, co-exposure to arsenic and nickel intensified prostate damage, evidencing an oxidative process and tissue damage that confirms the prostate's sensitiveness to metal mixture after a subchronic exposure.