Pagnotta A, Specchia N, Greco F
Institute of Orthopedics, University of Ancona, Italy.
J Orthop Res. 2002 Jan;20(1):163-8. doi: 10.1016/S0736-0266(01)00072-9.
Palmar fascia tissue and cultured cells from patients with Dupuytren's contracture and from normal subjects were characterized and analyzed for androgen receptor expression. Androgen receptors have never been studied in Dupuytren's myofibroblasts and may have a role in its high male predominance. Surgical samples were collected from eight patients undergoing surgery for Dupuytren's contracture and from four patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, used as control tissue. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on tissue samples and on cell cultures with anti-androgen receptor, anti-alpha-smooth muscle actin, anti-fibronectin, and anti-type I and III collagen antibodies using the biotin avidin peroxidase method as revelatory system. Immunostaining for androgen receptors in tissue samples and cultured cells revealed nuclear reaction in many Dupuytren's myofibroblasts, but in few fibroblasts of the normal palmar fascia. In a double-labeling study, androgen receptors were seen to co-localize with alpha-actin in both cell cultures and tissue samples. We present the first evidence that the palmar fascia is a target tissue for androgen action and that the expression of androgen receptors in Dupuytren's contracture is considerably higher than in the normal palmar fascia. Further studies will need to evaluate whether the androgen-responsive state of the tissue is related to the high incidence of Dupuytren's contracture in the male sex.
对掌腱膜组织以及来自掌腱膜挛缩症患者和正常受试者的培养细胞进行了表征，并分析了雄激素受体的表达情况。此前从未对掌腱膜挛缩症的肌成纤维细胞中的雄激素受体进行过研究，其可能在该病男性高发中起作用。手术样本取自八名接受掌腱膜挛缩症手术的患者以及四名患有腕管综合征的患者，后者用作对照组织。使用生物素抗生物素蛋白过氧化物酶法作为显色系统，用抗雄激素受体、抗α平滑肌肌动蛋白、抗纤连蛋白以及抗I型和III型胶原抗体对组织样本和细胞培养物进行免疫组织化学分析。组织样本和培养细胞中雄激素受体的免疫染色显示，许多掌腱膜挛缩症的肌成纤维细胞中有核反应，但正常掌腱膜的成纤维细胞中则很少见。在一项双重标记研究中，在细胞培养物和组织样本中均发现雄激素受体与α肌动蛋白共定位。我们首次证明掌腱膜是雄激素作用的靶组织，且掌腱膜挛缩症中雄激素受体的表达明显高于正常掌腱膜。进一步的研究需要评估该组织的雄激素反应状态是否与掌腱膜挛缩症在男性中的高发病率有关。
