In vivo and in vitro evidence for the production of inhibin-like immunoreactivity in human adrenocortical adenomas and normal adrenal glands: relatively high secretion from adenomas manifesting Cushing's syndrome.
To clarify whether adrenal gland secretes inhibin in vivo in physiological or pathological conditions, we measured the levels of inhibin-like immunoreactivity (inhibin-LI) in adrenal veins (A-vein) and compared them with those in inferior vena cava (IVC) using blood samples obtained at catheterization of adrenal vein in the patients with adrenal adenoma manifesting Cushing's syndrome (Cs), aldosterone-producing adenoma, clinically non-functioning adenoma and normal adrenal gland. The tumor sides of A-veins in the patients with adenomas and also both sides of A-veins in subjects with normal adrenal glands showed significantly higher contents of inhibin-LI than their IVC. When the inhibin-LI secretion rate from adrenal gland was estimated by the difference between the levels of A-vein (tumor side) and IVC, Cs adenomas showed the highest secretion rate. Similarly, the tissue inhibin-LI content and the basal secretion rate of inhibit-LI from primary cultured cells were the highest in Cs adenomas. These findings indicated that normal adrenal glands and adrenocortical adenomas produced and secreted inhibin-LI into the general circulation in vivo and Cs adenomas have relatively high capacity for secreting inhibin-LI, and the present study provided the first in vivo evidence for adrenal inhibin-LI production in pathological conditions.
Nishi
Y
Y
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushi University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Haji
M
M
Takayanagi
R
R
Yanase
T
T
Ikuyama
S
S
Nawata
H
H
D000306:Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000378:metabolism*; D018246:Adrenocortical Adenoma / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003480:Cushing Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007265:Inhibins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D007265:Inhibins