title: [Characterization of stromal cell cultures from the prostatic peripheral zone of men at different ages].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize age-related cellular phenotype alterations and growth rates of human prostatic stromal cell cultures from the normal prostatic peripheral zone of young donors (PZ-young) and old donors (PZ-old).
  
  
  METHODS
  We isolated stromal cells from 10 donors of different ages, assessed the cellular phenotypes by immunocytostaining for prolyl-4-hydroxylase, alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and desmin, and analysed the ultrastructure by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The proliferation and apoptosis of the cells were determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and flow cytometry, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All the stromal cells were positive for prolyl-4-hydroxylase regardless of the donors' age, while alpha-SMA and desmin positive cells increased with their age. The positive expressions of alpha-SMA and desmin were (2.56 +/- 1.81)% and (0.89 +/- 0.93)% in PZ-young, and (38.89 +/- 11.22)% and (14.89 +/- 5.97)% in PZ-old (P < 0.01). The alpha-SMA- and/or desmin-positive stromal cells were morphologically large, flat and polygonal. Ultrastructural analysis showed that the cell cultures from PZ-old were richer in rough endoplasmic reticulum and golgi complexes. The stromal cells of PZ-old had a lower growth rate than that of PZ-young (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference in the apoptosis rate between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cellular phenotypes of human prostate stromal cell cultures change with the increase of age from predominantly typical fibroblasts to a mixture of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, which might responsible for the high incidence of prostate cancer in elderly men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, The First People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200080, China. chinawyc@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Yong-chuan
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bang-min
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Xiao-hai
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Sheng-qiang
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Fu-jun
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Shu-jie
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Xia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011467:Prostate / Q000166:cytology* / Q000473:pathology*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000473:pathology*; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult