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Increased recovery of androgen receptors from human prostate through the use of mersalyl: Evidence for androgen regulation of the binding sites in carcinomatous prostate
Author(s) -
De Larminat Marie Anne,
Pasik Leonardo,
Bellora Oscar,
Arturi Jorge,
Scorticati Carlos
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
the prostate
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.295
H-Index - 123
eISSN - 1097-0045
pISSN - 0270-4137
DOI - 10.1002/pros.2990090113
Subject(s) - prostate , androgen receptor , androgen , prostate cancer , medicine , endocrinology , receptor , mersalyl , urology , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , hormone , cancer , mitochondrion
With a technique adapted for needle biopsies from human prostate, androgen receptors have been quantitated in normal, hyperplastic, and carcinomatous samples. An important improvement in the yield of cytosol specific binding sites was obtained when samples were pre‐incubated with the mercurial reagent mersalyl, which dissociates endogenously bound hormone receptor complexes, before the binding assay with 3 H‐methyltrienolone ( 3 H‐R1881). Androgen receptors in normal prostate tissue were found to be highest (7.81 ± 1.12 pmoles/g tissue), and significantly different from hyperplastic prostate (2.02 ± 0.55 pmoles/g tissue, p < 0.025), but not from carcinomatous samples (4.47 ± 0.79 pmoles/g tissue). Mean values for hyperplastic and carcinoma were not statistically distinguishable (p < 0.1). The clinical response to hormone therapy in 85% of 13 patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma reflected the prostatic androgen receptor content. Orchidectomy followed by estrogen administration for several months leads to a dramatic fall (8‐fold) in total androgen receptors in carcinomatous prostate, while estrogen alone did not seem to produce a significant effect. These preliminary data suggest that androgen could directly regulate its binding sites, as demonstrated earlier for other animal target organs.