Cockett A T, di Sant'Agnese P A, Gopinath P, Schoen S R, Abrahamsson P A
Department of Urology, University of Rochester Medical Center, New York.
Urology. 1993 Nov;42(5):512-9. doi: 10.1016/0090-4295(93)90260-h.
Neuroendocrine (NE) cells containing neurosecretory granules, rich in various peptide hormones and biogenic amines such as serotonin (5-HT), are components of the human prostate epithelium. The NE cells probably subserve a paracrine or local regulatory role in both prostatic growth and differentiation as well as the exocrine secretory process. Neuroendocrine cells may be involved in the etiology of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In this study the number of NE cells in areas of BPH was compared with normal tissue using 5-HT immunocytochemistry. In addition, using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD), tissue levels of 5-HT and its metabolite 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were analyzed in prostatic tissue extracts including 25 cases of BPH and 16 cases of normal tissue verified by adjacent histologic sections. Compared with normal prostate our results demonstrated a marked decrease in 5-HT immunoreactive NE cells in the vast majority of larger hyperplastic nodules of BPH. These findings were corroborated by quantitative analysis where a significant reduction in the tissue 5-HT levels in BPH (0.539 +/- 0.09 SE) compared with normal (1.75 +/- 0.22 SE) (p < 0.05) was found. When smaller nodules of BPH were studied, abundant NE cells, equal or increased in number compared with those in adjacent normal prostatic tissue, were seen. The small apparently developing BPH nodules and ductal-like structures contained NE cells which may be growth foci near the periphery of some hyperplastic nodules. These findings particularly in small hyperplastic nodules suggest that NE cells and their products involved in controlling cell proliferation through a paracrine hormonal mechanism and may be involved in the pathogenesis of BPH. Serotonin (5-HT) and NE peptides may represent that elusive local "missing link" often alluded to in various theories relating to the development of early nodular hyperplasia in BPH.
含有神经分泌颗粒、富含多种肽类激素和生物胺（如5-羟色胺，5-HT）的神经内分泌（NE）细胞是人类前列腺上皮的组成部分。NE细胞可能在前列腺生长、分化以及外分泌分泌过程中发挥旁分泌或局部调节作用。神经内分泌细胞可能参与良性前列腺增生（BPH）的病因学。在本研究中，使用5-HT免疫细胞化学方法比较了BPH区域与正常组织中NE细胞的数量。此外，采用高效液相色谱-电化学检测法（HPLC-ECD），对包括25例BPH和16例经相邻组织学切片证实的正常组织的前列腺组织提取物中的5-HT及其代谢产物5-羟吲哚乙酸（5-HIAA）的组织水平进行了分析。与正常前列腺相比，我们的结果显示，在绝大多数较大的BPH增生性结节中，5-HT免疫反应性NE细胞显著减少。这些发现通过定量分析得到了证实，结果发现BPH组织中5-HT水平（0.539±0.09 SE）与正常组织（1.75±0.22 SE）相比显著降低（p<0.05）。当研究较小的BPH结节时，可见丰富的NE细胞，其数量与相邻正常前列腺组织中的数量相等或增加。明显正在发展的BPH小结节和导管样结构含有NE细胞，这些细胞可能是一些增生性结节周边的生长灶。这些发现，尤其是在小的增生性结节中的发现，表明NE细胞及其产物通过旁分泌激素机制参与控制细胞增殖，并且可能参与BPH的发病机制。5-羟色胺（5-HT）和NE肽可能代表了在各种与BPH早期结节增生发展相关的理论中经常提到的难以捉摸的局部“缺失环节”。
