Premium
Evaluation of angiogenesis in 77 pituitary adenomas using endoglin as a marker
Author(s) -
Pizarro Cristina B.,
Oliveira Miriam C.,
PereiraLima Julia F.S.,
Leães Carolina G.S.,
Kramer Carolina K.,
Schuch Tiago,
BarbosaCoutinho Lígia M.,
Ferreira Nelson P.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
neuropathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.701
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1440-1789
pISSN - 0919-6544
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1789.2008.00937.x
Subject(s) - endoglin , angiogenesis , proliferation marker , pituitary adenoma , pituitary tumors , proliferation index , medicine , neovascularization , endocrinology , biology , immunohistochemistry , cancer research , adenoma , cd34 , stem cell , microbiology and biotechnology
Angiogenesis, a fundamental process for the development and growth of a tumor, is less expressive in adenomas than in the normal pituitary tissue. There is controversy about the behavior of angiogenesis as a function of hormonal secretion or other characteristics of pituitary tumors. Endoglin (CD105) is a proliferation‐associated antigen on endothelial cells, as well as an endothelial progenitor cell marker. We used the anti‐endoglin antibody, a glycoprotein expressed in endothelial cells and conjunctive tissue, as a new marker particularly associated with neovascularization, in order to determine microvascular density (MVD) in pituitary adenomas. There were 77 samples, 31 males and 46 females, carriers of micro‐ ( n = 24) or macroadenomas ( n = 53). No significant difference was found in MVD concerning the variables of age, clinical presentation, and immunohistochemical phenotype or tumor size. MVD in males (median 5.4) was significantly higher ( P = 0.001) than in females (median 3.0). Cell proliferation, as evaluated by the MIB‐1 antibody (a cellular proliferation index [Ki‐67 antigen], which is present in all stages of the cellular cycle except for the resting cells), ranged from 0% to 19.58%. No correlation was found between MIB‐1 and MVD. It is possible to infer that the lower MVD found in pituitary adenomas in females reflects an inhibitory estrogen action on TGF‐β1, a protein involved in vascular remodeling. Because of its role as a TGF receptor ligand, endoglin proved to be sensitive in detecting this gender difference in pituitary tumor angiogenesis.