Female prostate: a review about the biological repercussions of this gland in humans and rodents

F.C.A. Santos 1 , S.R. Taboga 2,3 The prostate is not a gland exclusive to the male reproductive system since it is also found in females of several mammals, including humans and rodents. In males, prostatic morphogenesis is an event controlled by androgens, which act indirectly via paracrine factors secreted by the mesenchyme. In females, prostatic embryological development occurs in an environment without steroid hormones, but the presence of these hormones in an adult organism induces the differentiation and secretory activity of prostatic cells.