Department of Pathology, Telemark Hospital, Skien, Norway.
Histopathology. 2012 Mar;60(4):617-33. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.2011.04109.x. Epub 2012 Jan 19.
Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) in female breast tissue has been linked to stem cells, but little is known about the benign cellular organization in situ. We investigated the distribution of ALDH1-immunoreactive (ALDH1+) cells in histomorphologically benign breast tissue from 28 women with or without breast cancer.
ALDH1+ cells were detected in benign tissue of women aged 20-72 years, located most commonly at the luminal and intermediate ductular levels and in the stroma. ALDH1+ cell populations and Ki67+ cell populations were present in separate ductules, both cell types rarely showing epithelial differentiation. ALDH1+ cells were non-reactive to Ki67 and oestrogen receptor. Stromal round/oval ALDH1+ non-leukocyte cells in both age groups expressed contractile protein. There was a lower concentration of luminal and intermediate ductular ALDH1+ cells in postmenopausal women than in premenopausal women, and in cancer patients than in non-cancer patients, and a higher concentration in women receiving exogenous hormones.
This study provides further evidence for the stem cell character of ALDH1+ cells, here in benign breast tissue of cancer and non-cancer patients throughout non-lactating adult life, and contributes evidence of benign stromal ALDH1+ cells. The distribution of ductular ALDH1+ stem cells appears to be influenced by hormonal status.
女性乳腺组织中的醛脱氢酶 1（ALDH1）与干细胞有关，但关于原位良性细胞组织的了解甚少。我们研究了 28 名有或无乳腺癌女性的组织形态学良性乳腺组织中 ALDH1 免疫反应性（ALDH1+）细胞的分布。
在 20-72 岁的女性良性组织中检测到 ALDH1+细胞，最常见于腔和中间导管水平以及基质中。ALDH1+细胞群和 Ki67+细胞群位于单独的导管中，这两种细胞类型很少表现出上皮分化。ALDH1+细胞对 Ki67 和雌激素受体均无反应。在两个年龄组中，基质中的圆形/椭圆形 ALDH1+非白细胞细胞均表达收缩蛋白。绝经后女性的腔和中间导管 ALDH1+细胞浓度低于绝经前女性，癌症患者低于非癌症患者，接受外源性激素的女性浓度更高。
本研究进一步证明了 ALDH1+细胞的干细胞特征，这些细胞存在于癌症和非癌症患者的整个非哺乳期成年良性乳腺组织中，并为良性基质 ALDH1+细胞提供了证据。导管 ALDH1+干细胞的分布似乎受激素状态的影响。
