[Prostate specific antigen and NF-kB in prostatic disease: relation with malignancy].
BACKGROUND
NF-kB (p50/p65) is a transcription factor involved in TNF-α-induced cell death resistance by promoting several antiapoptotic genes. We intend to relate the expression of NF-kB (p50 and p65) with serum levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), both in normal males and in those with pathologic conditions of the prostate.


METHODS
this study was carried out in 5 normal, 24 benign prostatic hyperplastic (BPH) and 19 patients with prostate cancer (PC). Immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses were performed on tissue and serum PSA was assayed by PSA DPC Immulite assays (Diagnostics Products Corporation, Los Angeles, CA).


RESULTS
in controls, p65 NF-kB was not found and p50 was scantly detected in 60% normal samples in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells. Both p50 and p65 were expressed in 62.5% of the samples with BPH and in 63.2% of those with PC. Both increased its frequency of expression with higher PSA serum levels.


CONCLUSIONS
Activation of NF-kB revealed by its nuclear translocation in prostate cancer could be related to cancer progression and elevated seric PSA levels. A better understanding of the biologic mechanism by which circulating PSA levels increase and its relation with NF-kB expression is needed. Possibly, NF-kB blockage could be used as a therapeutic target to counteract proliferation in prostate cancer.
Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, España. urocansino@yahoo.es
J R
JR
Cansino
R
R
Vera
F
F
Rodríguez de Bethencourt
Y
Y
Bouraoui
G
G
Rodríguez
A
A
Prieto
J
J
de la Peña
R
R
Paniagua
M
M
Royuela
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011467:Prostate / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
D016328:NF-kappa B; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen