Life expectancy, antagonistic pleiotropy, and the testis of dogs and men

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia are important age-related prostatic diseases that are under the influence of testicular hormones. However, the disparity between male and female life expectancy within the human population cannot be explained solely by the prevalence of prostatic disease-related mortality. The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibility that the testis exerts a detrimental effect on life span. METHODS First, we review previously published and unpublished data on the influence of the testis on the life span of dogs and men. Aging in pet dogs and men is then discussed in terms of evolutionary theory, emphasizing the significance of a prolonged postreproductive life span and possible consequences of late-acting deleterious genes in these two species. Finally, we present preliminary data that orchiectomy can reduce DNA damage within the brain of elderly male dogs. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these observations raise the intriguing possibility that interventions to antagonize the testis might have much broader therapeutic applications that will extend well beyond the treatment of prostate cancer. Prostate 43:272–277, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.