title: [Immunohistochemical identification of adrenomedullin in adrenal diseases].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Adrenomedullin (ADM) is a hypotensive peptide isolated from human pheochromocytoma tissue. In order to identify the pathophysiological effects of ADM on the etiology of adrenal diseases which can induce hypertension, the localization of immunoreactive adrenomedullin (ir-ADM) in adrenal tissue of subjects with normal adrenal and patients with different adrenal diseases was investigated by means of immunohistochemical staining.
  
  
  METHODS
  Peroxidase anti-peroxidase complex method was undertaken in the tissue of human adrenal cortex (n = 10) and medulla (n = 10)of subjects with normal adrenal, as well as in the tissue of pheochromocytoma (n = 31), primary aldosteronism including adrenocortical adenoma (n = 13) and hyperplasia (n = 9), Cushing's syndrome including adrenocortical adenoma (n = 12), hyperplasia (n = 10), carcinoma (n = 4) and non-functional adrenocortical carcinoma (n = 7).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Positive immunohistochemical staining of ir-ADM was observed in all the cases of normal adrenal medulla and 16 of the 31 cases of pheochromocytoma. The intensity of immunohistochemical staining of ir-ADM in the majority of pheochromocytoma was lower than that in normal adrenal medulla (P < 0.01). The number of pheochromocytoma cases with positive staining in paroxysmal hypertensive group was higher than that in sustained hypertensive group (P < 0.05). Negative immunohistochemical staining was found in all the cases of normal human adrenal cortex, adrenocortical adenoma, hyperplasia and carcinoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is suggested that heterogeneous of localization of ir-ADM in pheochromocytoma tissue may be correlated to the diversity of blood pressure in patients with pheochromocytoma. The pathophysiological effects of ADM on the etiology of pheochromocytoma should be further investigated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Zheng-pei
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D000307:Adrenal Gland Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000313:Adrenal Medulla / Q000378:metabolism; D053607:Adrenomedullin; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D010455:Peptides / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D053607:Adrenomedullin