OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between the androgen receptor (AR), oestrogen receptor( ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) by assaying the distributions of these three receptors in the both benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and prostatic cancer (PCa) tissues, then to explore the difference of the effects of hormonal treatment between the AR positive and AR negative in PCa patients.

METHODSTo observe AR, PR and ER expressions in 30 cases of BPH and 32 cases of PCa tissues by DAKO Envision methods.

RESULTSThere were 22 AR positive, 10 ER positive and 6 PR positive cases in 30 BPH patients, and there were 18 AR positive, 14 ER positive and 2 PR positive in 32 PCa patients. There was no significant difference between the two groups. The survival time was 6.41 and 4.28 years for the AR positive and AR negative respectively in 30 PCa patients. The AR positive patients lived longer than the AR negative (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThese three receptors cant result in PCa and the effects of hormonal treatment on AR negative PCa patients is not certain.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Receptors, Androgen ; biosynthesis ; Receptors, Estrogen ; biosynthesis ; Receptors, Progesterone ; biosynthesis

To investigate the estrogen receptor (ER) expression in cartilage cell in the development of osteoarthritis induced by bilateral ovariectomy in guinea pig and to find their relationship. 30 two-month-old female guinea pigs were randomly divided into two groups (n = 15 each): sham operation (control) group and ovariectomized group (OVX); Scanning electorne microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were obtained to analysis the cartilage degeneration of the hind limb knee joint after 6 and 12 weeks of ovariectomy. Dextran-Coated-Charcoal (DCC) was taken to quantitively detect the expression of ER. The serum levels of estrogen and gestone were detected by immune contest assay. The results showed that ER do exist in the cartilages of the guinea pigs, with higher expression in the control group than in OVX group at the same time point (P < 0.05). It was increased also at 12 th week after operation than that of preoperation. The blood serum levels of estrogen and gestone showed a similar tendency to the expression of ER. Joint cartilage degeneration detected by SEM and TEM could be found at 6 th week, but severe degenerative lesions at 12 th week in the OVX group compared with the control group (P < 0.01). The data suggested that bilateral ovariectomy in guinea pig lead to severe osteoarthritis which mighgt be related to the lower serum level of estrogen and the downregulation of the expression of ER in the cartilage also.
Cartilage, Articular/cytology ; Cartilage, Articular/*metabolism ; Chondrocytes/metabolism ; Estrogens/*blood ; Osteoarthritis/*etiology ; Osteoarthritis/metabolism ; Ovariectomy ; Random Allocation ; Receptors, Estrogen/*biosynthesis ; Receptors, Estrogen/genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on estrogen receptor (ER) and androgen receptor (AR) in mouse prostate cells and explore the putative role of EGF in prostatic hyperplasia.

METHODSSixty male Kunming mice were randomly divided into two EGF groups and one control group (n=20) and subjected to subcutaneous injection of 1 and 2 microg/day EGF and distilled water, respectively, for 28 consecutive days. The cellular expression of ER and AR in the prostate of mice in different groups was evaluated by flow cytometry.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the positivity rate of ER and its expression level were significantly increased in the mouse prostate after EGF treatment (P<0.01), and the ER expression level was significantly higher in mouse with 2 microg/day EGF treatment than in those treated with 2 microg/day EGF (P<0.01). AR positivity rate and expression level also increased significantly in comparison with the control group (P<0.05), but no significant variation was found between 1 microg/day and 2 microg/day EGF groups.

CONCLUSIONEGF can increase the cellular expression of ER and AR in mice prostate and may play a role in the pathogenesis of prostatic hyperplasia.

Animals ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Flow Cytometry ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Male ; Mice ; Prostate ; cytology ; metabolism ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; metabolism ; pathology ; Random Allocation ; Receptors, Androgen ; biosynthesis ; Receptors, Estrogen ; biosynthesis

A rapid decline in egg production of laying hens begins after 480 d of age. Such a rapid decrease results predominantly from the ovarian aging, accompanied by endocrine changes, decreased yolk synthesis and accumulation, and the reduction in follicles selected into the preovulatory hierarchy. In this study, hens at 90, 150, 280, and 580 d old (D90, D150, D280, and D580, respectively) were compared for yolk precursor formation in the liver to elucidate effects of aging on laying performance. The results showed that liver lipid synthesis increased remarkably in hens from D90 to D150, but decreased sharply at D580 as indicated by the changes in triglyceride (TG) levels. This result was consistent with the age-related changes of the laying performance. The levels of liver antioxidants and total antioxidant capacity decreased significantly in D580 hens and the methane dicarboxylic aldehyde in D580 hens was much higher than that at other stages. The serum 17β-estradiol level increased from D90 to D280, but decreased at D580 (P<0.05). The expression of estrogen receptor α and β mRNAs in the liver displayed similar changes to the serum 17β-estradiol in D580 hens. Expressions of the genes related to yolk precursor formation and enzymes responsible for fat acid synthesis were all decreased in D580 hens. These results indicated that decreased yolk precursor formation in the liver of the aged hens resulted from concomitant decreases of serum 17β-estradiol level, transcription levels of estrogen receptors and critical genes involved in yolk precursor synthesis, and liver antioxidant status.
Age Factors ; Animals ; Antioxidants ; metabolism ; Chickens ; Egg Yolk ; metabolism ; Estradiol ; blood ; Female ; Lipids ; biosynthesis ; Liver ; metabolism ; Oviposition ; Receptors, Estrogen ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and its prognostic significance in breast cancer.

METHODSExpression of IL-8 in 113 breast cancers, 19 breast benign tumors and 20 breast normal tissues was examined by tissue microarray using immunohistochemistry, and the association of IL-8 expression with patient's clinico-pathological characteristics and prognosis was further analyzed.

RESULTSThe positive rate of IL-8 expression in breast cancer was 27.4%, which was significantly higher than that in benign tumor and normal tissue of breast (P = 0.002). IL-8 expression related to histological type (P = 0.040) and lymph node status (P = 0.021). The expression of IL-8 was observed to correlate negatively with ER and PR status (P = 0.015 and P = 0.034), and correlate positively with C-erbB-2 status (P = 0.002). In addition, Kaplan-Meier curves of disease-free survival analysis showed a significant difference between IL-8 positive groups and negative group (P = 0.031).

CONCLUSIONSIL-8 might be a poor prognostic factor for human breast cancer, and also might be a novel molecular marker to predicate the occurrence and progression of breast cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Breast Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Interleukin-8 ; biosynthesis ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; biosynthesis ; Receptors, Estrogen ; biosynthesis ; Receptors, Progesterone ; biosynthesis

OBJECTIVETo detect the expressions of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), presenilin 2 (PS-2) and estrogen receptor (ER) in breast cancer and discuss their clinical implications.

METHODSThe expressions of Her-2, EGFR, PS-2 and ER were measured immunohistochemically in 108 patients with breast cancer.

RESULTSThe positive expression rates of Her-2, EGFR, PS-2 and ER were 37.0%, 40.7%, 57.4% and 53.7% respectively in the breast cancer patients. The expression of Her-2 was not correlated with EGFR, but inversely correlated with PS-2 and ER. The expressions of Her-2 and EGFR, PS-2, ER were correlated with the histological grades (P<0.05), and Her-2, EGFR and ER expressions with lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). The expressions of Her-2, EGFR, PS-2 and ER did not correlate to the pathological types, patient's age and tumor size (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONExpressions of Her-2 and EGFR often suggests an unfavorable prognosis while expressions of PS-2 and ER suggest a more favorable one. Expressions of Her-2, EGFR, PS-2 and ER are useful prognostic factors in breast cancer patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; biosynthesis ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Middle Aged ; Presenilin-2 ; biosynthesis ; Prognosis ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; biosynthesis ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; biosynthesis ; Receptors, Estrogen ; biosynthesis

Estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRα) plays an important role in the development of hormone-dependent cancers, but its roles in lung cancer remain elusive. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of ERRα on the proliferation and metastasis of lung cancer A549 cells. The mRNA and protein levels of ERRα were detected in lung cancer A549 and MCF-7 cells and bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells by qRT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. ERRα plasmid transfection and XCT-790 (an inverse agonist of ERRα) were used to up-regulate or down-regulate ERRα expression in A549 cells, respectively. The viability of A549 cells was measured by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and the motility of A549 cells by wound healing assay and Transwell migration/invasion assay. The epithelial markers E-cadherin (E-Cad) and zona occludin-1 (ZO-1), the mesenchymal markers fibronectin (FN) and vimentin (Vim) and the transcription factors (Snail, Zeb1 Twist and Slug) were further detected at mRNA and protein levels by qRT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. The results showed that ERRα promoted the growth of lung cancer A549 cells in vitro. XCT-790 significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of A549 cells. Over-expression of ERRα promoted the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of A549 cells, down-regulated the epithelial makers E-Cad and ZO-1, and up-regulated the mesenchymal makers FN and Vim. Silencing of Slug, but not other transcription factors, significantly abolished the ERRα-induced EMT of A549 cells. It was suggested that ERRα promoted the migration and invasion of A549 cells by inducing EMT, and Slug was involved in the process. Targeting ERRα might be an efficient approach for lung cancer treatment.
Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Receptors, Estrogen ; biosynthesis ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo discuss the clinical significance of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) mRNA and the relationship of MMP-2 mRNA expression with breast cancer metastasis.

METHODDetect MMP-2 mRNA expression of 30 breast cancer, metastatic lymphnode and 116 clinical breast cancer samples by flurence-quantitative RT-PCR and analysis the relativity of MMP-2 mRNA expression with clinical, pathology factors.

RESULTSMMP-2 mRNA expression in 30 metastatic lymphnode is lower than in primary breast cancer (t = -3.293, P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of MMP-2 in tumor > 2 cm is lower than in tumor

CONCLUSIONSMMP-2 mRNA expression is up-regulated in early clinic stage, lymphnode metastatic early stage, and down regulated with tumor progressing. MMP-2 mRNA expression is related with the metastasis of breast cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Breast Neoplasms ; enzymology ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; pathology ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Receptors, Estrogen ; biosynthesis ; Receptors, Progesterone ; biosynthesis ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Despite the various responses of human skin to female sex hormones, cellular and subcellular targets and the mechanisms of action of estrogen and progesterone in human skin are not well understood. The detection of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) in the skin is of great importance to understand the effect of estrogen and progesterone. In primary cultures of human keratinocytes, expression of ER and PR was monitored by immunocytochemistry and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Paraffin embedded skin tissues were stained with monoclonal antibodies to human ER and PR by immunohistochemistry. Cultured human keratinocytes expressed cytoplasmic PR protein and PR mRNA transcripts. By contrast, ER was detected only at the mRNA level. Suprabasal keratinocytes from samples of pruritic urticarial papules, plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP) and psoriasis were stained positively only for PR, while those from samples of erythema nodosum were negative for both ER and PR. Lesional epidermis of PUPPP showed positive PR immunoreactivity, while nonlesional epidermis did not. No other cells in the normal human skin were stained with ER and PR. The present study suggests that by expressing PR human keratinocytes act as targets for progesterone action.
Adolescence ; Adult ; Aged ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Human ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Infant ; Keratinocytes/metabolism* ; Keratinocytes/cytology ; Male ; Middle Age ; Receptors, Estrogen/genetics ; Receptors, Estrogen/biosynthesis ; Receptors, Progesterone/genetics* ; Receptors, Progesterone/biosynthesis ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA/methods ; Skin/pathology ; Skin/metabolism ; Skin Diseases/metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression in breast carcinoma.

METHODSSamples were obtained from 31 patients with breast carcinoma who received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, ER or PR expressions were analyzed in preoperative core biopsies and final surgical specimens.

RESULTSER level was up-regulated in 13 (41.9%) out of 31 cases, PR level was up-regulated in 10 (32.3%). Both ER level and PR level were up-regulated in 8 (25.8%) out of 31 cases.

CONCLUSIONSNeoadjuvant chemotherapy may impact the hormone receptor status, ER and PR expression re-analysis in final surgical specimens is recommended.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Epirubicin ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Paclitaxel ; administration & dosage ; Receptors, Estrogen ; biosynthesis ; Receptors, Progesterone ; biosynthesis