Claassen Horst, Mönig Heiner, Sel Saadettin, Werner Jochen A, Paulsen Friedrich
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Grosse Steinstrasse 52, 06097, Halle, Germany.
Histochem Cell Biol. 2006 Sep;126(3):381-8. doi: 10.1007/s00418-006-0172-7. Epub 2006 Apr 1.
The degree of mineralization in human thyroid cartilage is gender specific. Until now, laryngeal tissue was tested for sexual hormone receptors by the use of radiolabelled hormones only without exact localization of the receptors. In this study immediately frozen cartilage specimens from seven male and one female patient who underwent laryngectomy were used for immunolocalization of sexual hormone receptors. Additionally, serum sexual hormone levels were measured by means of radioimmunoassay. Alkaline phosphatase was localized enzymohistochemically in another cohort of six male and four female cartilage specimens from laryngectomies and autopsies. Chondrocytes in thyroid cartilage from both sexes reacted with antibodies to the androgen receptor. The low serum testosterone levels, which varied between 1.5 and 3.9 ng/ml, did not correlate with insufficient mineralization of thyroid cartilage in men (r=0.363, P=0.432). Chondrocytes did not react with antibodies to the estrogen receptor alpha and the progesterone receptor in both sexes. Expression of alkaline phosphatase started about the middle of the second decade. Some chondrocytes near the mineralization front were positive for androgen receptor and alkaline phosphatase, other chondrocytes were negative for both. Our results suggest the involvement of androgen receptor positive chondrocytes in thyroid cartilage mineralization, probably by a testosterone-linked stimulation of alkaline phosphatase.
人类甲状腺软骨的矿化程度具有性别特异性。到目前为止，仅通过使用放射性标记激素来检测喉组织中的性激素受体，而没有对受体进行精确的定位。在本研究中，取自7名男性和1名女性喉切除患者的立即冷冻的软骨标本用于性激素受体的免疫定位。此外，通过放射免疫测定法测量血清性激素水平。在另一组取自喉切除和尸检的6名男性和4名女性软骨标本中，通过酶组织化学方法对碱性磷酸酶进行定位。两性甲状腺软骨中的软骨细胞均与雄激素受体抗体发生反应。男性血清睾酮水平较低，在1.5至3.9 ng/ml之间变化，与甲状腺软骨矿化不足无关（r = 0.363，P = 0.432）。两性的软骨细胞均未与雌激素受体α和孕激素受体抗体发生反应。碱性磷酸酶的表达大约在第二个十年中期开始。矿化前沿附近的一些软骨细胞雄激素受体和碱性磷酸酶呈阳性，其他软骨细胞两者均为阴性。我们的结果表明，雄激素受体阳性的软骨细胞可能通过睾酮相关的碱性磷酸酶刺激参与甲状腺软骨矿化。
