The humble possum may hod the key to a medical breakthrough in men's health.
Horny possums may hold the key scientists have been looking for to help treat some prostrate problems in men.
Scientists at AgResearch and the Otago Medical School believe the prostate gland in the bush-tailed possum is anatomically identical to humans.
AgResearch said the possum's prostate gland grew and
shrank seasonally and if research could identify the trigger that caused that shrinkage, it could help develop a drug which could help men.
AgResearch said the prostate gland began to grow in most men over 40 and by the time they were 60, more than half of the men had prostate problems, including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
The prostate gland grew where it surrounded the urethra "forcing the tissue to squeeze off, and sometimes completely block, the urethra," said the AgResearch magazine, in touch.
Scientists said possum prostates grew significantly during the breeding season and regressed after it. AgResearch scientists Dr Bernie McLeod said many aspects of prostate growth in possums were similar to BPH in men.
It said the main treatment for BPH was invasive surgery. Scientists researching the problem were hampered by the lack of access to human prostate samples.
"However, now they have access to tissues from the bush-tailed possum, they are endeavouring to find other, less invasive solutions," the magazine said.
It said by studying the bush-tailed possum they hoped to find the trigger which cause the prostate to shrink and then replicate that trigger in a drug for humans.
The hormone mesotocin had something to do with the possum's prostate growth. Humans had the equivalent hormone -- oxytocin.
AgResearch said the research was into its third year and the next phase over the next two years would investigate the growth factors "implicated in prostate growth.
"This will involve determining the expression of various genes within possum prostate tissues at different times of the year, when the prostate is enlarging and when it is shrinking," the magazine said.
- NZPA
