A Digital Image Analysis of the Morphology and Immunolocalization of Catalase and Caspase-3 in the Skin of Adult Male Rats After Treatment with Letrozole and Vitamin C.

Estrogens are hormones that play an important role in the skin, including in men. Letrozole (LET) is an inhibitor of the enzyme that converts androgens to estrogens. The use of letrozole can cause morphological changes and changes in the immunoexpression of proteins associated with oxidative stress and apoptosis. Vitamin C is a factor that modulates cellular stress. The purpose of this study was to examine whether letrozole and/or vitamin C supplementation can affect the morphology of the skin, parameters of the programmed cell death marker, and oxidative damage. Three-month-old rats were divided into four groups and treated with: (I) CTRL-water; (II) VIT C-L-ascorbic acid; (III) LET-letrozole; and (IV) LET+C-letrozole + L-ascorbic acid. The morphometrical measurements included epithelial thickness, width of collagen fibers, and elastic fibers. The expression levels of caspase-3 and catalase were determined. Significant differences in the morphometrical measurements and immunoexpression were observed. The findings indicate that chronic treatment with letrozole can affect morphology and induce oxidative stress and programmed cell death in the epidermal cells of adult male rats. Vitamin C supplementation exerts an effect on some parameters of the molecular processes.