ENDOGENOUS STEROID LEVELS IN THE HUMAN PROSTATE FROM BIRTH TO OLD AGE: A COMPARISON OF NORMAL AND DISEASED TISSUES

Abstract

The levels of steroids in prostatic tissues were determined by radioimmunoassay after solvent extraction of a single (300–600 mg wet tissue) sample and chromatography of extracts on hydroxyalkoxypropyl Sephadex microcolumns. In normal adult prostates (n = 18) the concentrations of steroids (mean±s.e.m. ng/g wet tissue) were: testosterone, 0·25 ± 0·04; androstenedione, 0·13 ± 0·03; 5α-androstane-3, 17-dione (5α-androstanedione), 1·31 ± 17β-hydroxy-5α-androstan-3-one (5α-dihydrotestosterone, DHT), 1·22± 0·14; 5α-androstane-3α, 17β-diol (3α-androstanediol), 4·32 ± 0·49; androsterone, 4·15± 1·07; progesterone, 0·39 ± 0·07; 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, 0·42 ± 0·06. Concentrations of steroids in tissues from outer-gland regions were within the ranges found in the periurethral regions. In the prostates of newborn boys, the concentrations of all steroids were high, including progesterone and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone. Apart from 3α-androstanediol, the levels of which tend to increase after this age, the concentrations of all steroids were lower in the infant and pubertal prostates, but most were re-established to a variable extent in the adult tissues. This was particularly evident with respect to 5α-androstanedione and androsterone, and it is suggested that these two androgens may have a functional role in the mature prostate. The concentrations of testosterone, androstenedione, 5α-androstanedione, progesterone and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone in tissues taken from ten patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) were similar to those in normal adult tissue. The concentration of DHT was markedly raised (5·33 ± 0·46 ng/g) and the levels of 3α-androstanediol and androsterone were reduced (1·40 ± 0·12 and 0·80 ± 0·12 ng/g respectively) in adenomatous compared with normal tissue. The concentrations of various androgens displayed remarkable inter-relationships which characterize normal and BPH tissues. The concentrations of testosterone, androstenedione, DHT and 3α-androstanediol were particularly high in the untreated prostatic carcinomatous tissue sample investigated, whereas the concentrations of 5α-androstanedione and androsterone were very low. After oestrogen treatment, testosterone and androstenedione virtually disappeared, while reduced but significant concentrations of their metabolites remained in similar proportions to those observed in the untreated carcinomatous tissue. Under the conditions of therapy, oestrogens are suggested to influence the uptake of androgens.