OBJECTIVETo study the expression of the Trp-p8 protein in the prostate tissue of the PSA "grey zone" with different PSA density of the transition zone (PSADTZ) and explore the value of determining Trp-p8 expression and PSADTZ in the early diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa).

METHODSThis study involved 30 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and another 30 cases of PCa with different PSADTZ values. Using a data imaging and analysis system, we determined the expression levels of Trp-p8 in BPH and PCa tissues and analyzed their correlation with PSADTZ.

RESULTSThe expression of Trp-p8 was weak or negative in the BPH but strong in the PCa tissue and even stronger in the PCa tissue with high PSADTZ (F = 34. 05, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe Trp-p8 protein is expressed differently in BPH and PCa tissues of the PSA " grey zone" and its expression is positively correlated with PSADTZ. Determination of the Trp-p8 expression and PSADTZ contributes to the early diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Early Detection of Cancer ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Prostate ; metabolism ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; metabolism ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; TRPM Cation Channels ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of the binding ability of the dihydrotestosterone(DHT) in prostate.

METHODSTwenty-two normal prostate tissues taken from accident-death corpses without serious diseases, and cytosolic and nuclear fractions were prepared with all the endogenous hormone removed from the cytosolic and nuclear fractions by ether stripping. The content of the bound 3H-DHT was assayed by adding 3H-DHT.

RESULTSThe average DHT-binding capacity of the DHT-binding protein in prostate was (0.0263 +/- 0.0047) nmol/g wet tissue. The DHT-binding capacities of cytosolic and nuclear fractions were (0.0103 +/- 0.0015) nmol/g wet tissue and (0.0155 +/- 0.0035) nmol/g wet tissue respectively, and the difference between them was very significant(P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe DHT-binding capacity of the DHT-binding protein in prostate is high and maintaining the high DHT level facilitates the effect of DHT.

Adult ; Cell Nucleus ; metabolism ; Cytoplasm ; metabolism ; Dihydrotestosterone ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Prostate ; metabolism ; Protein Binding

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of stromal cells on the Kallikrein 7 (KLK7) expression of epithelial cells in benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).

METHODSWe constructed a stromal-epithelial co-culture model after separating the two types of cells from BPH tissues and identifying them by cell morphology and chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA). The expression of KLK7 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR in the epithelial cells with or without the stromal cells, and that of the KLK7 protein (hK7) determined by Western blot.

RESULTSStromal and epithelial cells were successfully separated and identified, and a stromal-epithelial co-culture model successfully established. RT-PCR showed that the mRNA expression of the KLK7 gene was higher in the epithelial cells co-cultured with stromal cells than in the epithelial cells alone, and the gray value of KLK7 to GAPDH was 1.41 +/- 0.041 in the former and 1.78 +/- 0.10 in the latter (P < 0.01). The results of Western blot were consistent with those of RT-PCR.

CONCLUSIONStromal cells can suppress the expression of the KLK7 gene in the epithelial cells in BPH. KLK7 may be involved in the change of epithelial cells stimulated by stromal cells.

Cells, Cultured ; Humans ; Kallikreins ; metabolism ; Male ; Prostate ; metabolism ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; metabolism ; pathology ; Stromal Cells ; metabolism

Androgen receptor(AR) plays an important role in modulating the effects of androgen on target cells. It is well known that AR is mainly existed in testis. This paper reviewed the distribution of AR and its mRNA in prostate, epididymis, skin of penis, and some other tissues in non-genital system and tumors, such as the skin of scalp, hippocampus, fat, gastric cancer, cancer of larynx, and so on. Besides, this paper also reviewed the detection methods to AR, and further investigated the function of androgen.
Androgens ; metabolism ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Penis ; metabolism ; Prostate ; metabolism ; Receptors, Androgen ; metabolism ; Testis ; metabolism ; Tissue Distribution ; Tumor Cells, Cultured

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the androgen receptor (AR) isoforms expression in human benign and malignant prostatic tissues and LNCaP cells.

METHODSUsing high resolution isoelectric focusing (IEF), the different expression of AR isoforms were demosntrated in human benign and malignant prostatic tissues and LNCaP cells.

RESULTSData were obtained from 41 AR-positive BPH, three prostatic cancer specimens, and LNCaP cells. From these materials, three types of AR isoforms were detected with pI values at 6.5, 6.0 and 5.3. In the case of BPH tissues, 15 (36.5%) specimens expressed all the three types of isoforms at pI 6.5, 6.0 and 5.3, and 10 (24.4%) samples contained isoforms at pI 6.5 and 5.3, five (12.2%) samples indicated isoforms at pI 6.5 and 6.0, four (9.8%) showed the isoforms at pI 6.0 and 5.3. Of all the 41 specimens, two (4.9%) and two (4.9%) as well as three (7.3%) denoted the isoforme at pI 6.5, 6.0 and 5.3 respectively. As for three prostatic cancer specimens, one sample showed all the three types of AR isoforms at pI 6.5, 6.0, 5.3, but another specimen expressed at pI 6.5 and 6.0, and only one failed to indicate any types of isoforms. LNCaP cells expressed all three types of AR isoforms at pI 6.5, 6.0 and 5.3. Binding of 3H-dihydrotestosterone to these three types of isoforms was inhibited by the addition of 100-fold excess of DHT and testosterone. No effect of progesterone, oestradiol and diethylstilboestrol on tritiated hormone binding was observed.

CONCLUSIONSThe expression of AR isoforms is different among various patients and different between BPH and LNCaP cells, though no clear explanation could be induced for this. These results suggest the possibility of explaining effective hormonal therapy to prostatic disease in the future.

Humans ; Male ; Prostate ; metabolism ; Protein Isoforms ; metabolism ; Receptors, Androgen ; metabolism ; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Prostate cancer generally relapses into castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) after androgen deprivation therapy, which may be associated with androgen metabolism, particularly de novo androgen synthesis apart from the amplification and mutation of androgen receptor and the activation of its signaling pathways. This article focuses on the advances in the studies of the changes in androgen metabolism and de novo androgen synthesis in CRPC as well as their possible mechanisms and clinical significance.
Androgen Antagonists ; pharmacology ; Androgens ; biosynthesis ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Orchiectomy ; Prostate ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant ; metabolism

Cell Line, Tumor ; Genetic Vectors ; Humans ; Male ; Neuraminidase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Prostate ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology

Prostate specific antigen (PSA) has a wide clinical use for the early detection of prostatic carcinoma (PCa); however, it has never been a perfect marker due to its low specificity and low positive predictive value which ranges between 4 ng/ml and 10 ng/ml. The discovery of different PSA molecular forms in serum in the early 1990s brought insight into searching for more specific markers. Since then free PSA (fPSA) has been used routinely to increase the specificity for PCa and to reduce unnecessary biopsies. More recently, promising data is emerging regarding one proenzyme molecular form of free PSA, proPSA, and a few truncated proPSA isoforms. The purpose of this article is to review the recent studies on clinical utility of proPSA, especially [−2]pPSA, an isoform of proPSA, and parameters involving [−2]pPSA as well as other PSA derivatives in early detection of PCa.
Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore the correlation of histologically proven prostatitis with the level of prostate specific antigen (PSA), prostate volume, PSA density (PSAD), international prostate symptom score (IPSS), maximum flow rate (Qmax) and post-void residual volume (PVR) in men with symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).

METHODSTotally 673 patients surgically treated for BPH were divided into Groups A and B in accordance with histological findings, the former including those with histological prostatitis, and the latter without it. Comparisons were made between the two groups in the PSA level, prostate volume, PSAD, IPSS, Qmax and PVR.

RESULTSThe PSA level, prostate volume, IPSS and PVR were significantly higher in Group A ([5.64 +/- 2.48] microg/L, [43.66 +/- 13.11] ml, 24.72 +/- 5.39 and [124.90 +/- 49.80] ml) than in B ([4.97 +/- 1.99] microg/L, [40.41 +/- 11.44] ml, 23.40 +/- 6.21 and [112.73 +/- 50.03] ml) (P<0.05), while Qmax markedly lower in the former ([6.94 +/- 3.23] ml/s) than in the latter ([7.75 +/- 3.52] ml/s) (P<0.05), but PSAD showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups (0.129 +/- 0.048 vs 0.123 +/- 0.034, P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONHistological prostatitis can significantly increase the PSA level, prostate volume, IPSS and PVR, and reduce the Qmax of the patient, but is not correlated with PSAD. It is an important factor influencing the clinical progression of BPH.

Aged ; Humans ; Male ; Organ Size ; Prostate ; metabolism ; pathology ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; metabolism ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; metabolism ; pathology ; urine ; Prostatitis ; metabolism ; pathology ; urine

OBJECTIVETo study the correlation of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) expression with Gleason score of prostate carcinoma.

METHODSMonoclonal antibodies against epitopes of PSMA extracellular domain were prepared, with which the expression of PSMA of prostate carcinoma (PC) was determined by immunohistochemical staining. Correlation of its expression with Gleason score of PC was statistically analyzed, and compared with that of PSA.

RESULTSEight hybridoma cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies specific for PSMA were prepared. PSMA expression level was positively correlated with Gleason score. In poorly differentiated prostate carcinoma, the expression intensity of PSMA was higher than that of medium-and well-differentiated prostate carcinoma (P < 0.01). However, there was no correlation between level of PSA expression and Gleason score (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPSMA expression level may be used as a useful surrogate marker in Gleason grading of prostate carcinoma. It may be a more suitable target than PSA in antibody mediated immunotherapy against poorly differentiated prostate carcinoma which is usually not sensitive to hormonal therapy.

Antigens, Surface ; metabolism ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology