Regular immunohistochemical localization of endothelin-1 and endothelin-B receptor in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic human adrenocortical cells.
The localization of endothelin (ET)-1/big ET-1, ET-3/big ET-3, ET-A and ET-B receptor was immunohistochemically examined in human adrenal glands composed of 36 normal cases, nine hyperplasia, 70 adenomas and seven carcinomas of cortical cells. In normal adrenals, ET-1/big ET-1 and ET-B receptor were regularly detected in the cortical cells, especially in the zona fasciculata for ET-1 and zona glomerulosa for ET-B receptor but not in the medulla, while ET-A receptor localized occasionally in endothelial cells or rarely in cortical cells and ET-3/big ET-3 was very limited in the cortical cells. In hyperplasia, adenoma and carcinoma, ET-1/big ET-1 and ET-B receptor showed frequent localization, although focal distribution of the ET-B receptor was rather predominant in these groups. ET-A receptor and ET-3/big ET-3 were very infrequently expressed. Functioning versus non-functioning and hypertensive versus normotensive cases revealed no significant differences in the frequency of positive cells for ET-1/big ET-1, ET-3/big ET-3, ET-A receptor or ET-B receptor. Alternatively, the frequency of immunoreactivity to ET-1/big ET-1 or ET-B receptor significantly decreased in hyperplasia, adenoma and carcinoma, when compared with that of normal adrenal cortex. The present study, therefore, indicates that ET-1/big ET-1 and ET-B receptor are a prevalent ligand-receptor system in normal and hyperplastic/neoplastic adrenocortical cells, even with a malignant profile, and may contribute in maintaining adrenocortical cell function or cell viability but not cell growth or systemic hypertension.
Hiraki
H
H
Department of Pathology, Fukushima Medical College, Japan.
Hoshi
N
N
Hasegawa
H
H
Tanigawa
T
T
Emura
I
I
Seito
T
T
Yamaki
T
T
Fukuda
T
T
Watanabe
K
K
Suzuki
T
T
D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D000306:Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000032:analysis*; D019334:Endothelin-3 / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000378:metabolism*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D044022:Receptor, Endothelin A; D044023:Receptor, Endothelin B; D017466:Receptors, Endothelin / Q000032:analysis*
D019332:Endothelin-1; D019334:Endothelin-3; D044022:Receptor, Endothelin A; D044023:Receptor, Endothelin B; D017466:Receptors, Endothelin