Immunohistochemical demonstration of LH/CG receptors in non-neoplastic human adrenal cortex and adrenocortical tumors

Numerous data indicate that luteinizing hormone and/or chorionic gonadotropin (LH/CG) exert direct actions on the adrenal cortex and are involved in the adrenal pathology. However, the immunohistochemical studies on the expression of LH/CG receptors (LH/CGR) in the human adrenal cortex and in the ad...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Folia histochemica et cytobiologica 2019-01, Vol.57 (1), p.23-27
Main Authors: Korol, Piotr, Jaranowska, Maria, Pawlikowski, Marek
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adrenal cortex
Adrenal glands
Antibodies
Benign
Cancer
Cell membranes
Chorionic gonadotropin
Cytoplasm
Gonadotropins
Lesions
Localization
Luteinizing hormone
Membranes
Molecular biology
Morphology
Neuroendocrine tumors
Paraffin
Paraffins
Pituitary (anterior)
Polyclonal antibodies
Receptor mechanisms
Receptors
Sampling methods
Statistical analysis
Tumors
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Summary:Numerous data indicate that luteinizing hormone and/or chorionic gonadotropin (LH/CG) exert direct actions on the adrenal cortex and are involved in the adrenal pathology. However, the immunohistochemical studies on the expression of LH/CG receptors (LH/CGR) in the human adrenal cortex and in the adrenocortical tumors are scarce. Paraffin sections of samples of 6 human non-neoplastic adrenal cortex and 25 adrenocortical tumors were immunostained with anti-LH/CGR polyclonal antibody. All zones of the human non-neoplastic adrenal cortex present a positive immunoreaction with anti-LH/CGR antibody showing the strongest reaction in cell membranes. The LH/CGR immunostaining in the vast majority of hormonally non-functioning adenomas and in all hormone-secreting adenomas does not differ from the non-neoplastic adrenal cortex. In contrast to non-neoplastic adrenal cortex and benign adenomas, in adrenocortical cancers the immunostaining with anti-LH/CGR antibody behaves differently. The immunopositive material is almost totally filling the cytoplasm of the cells but the immunopositivity of cell membranes is weak or lacking. The data presented in our study show that the expression of LH/CGR in adrenocortical tumors is not ectopic but eutopic. The immunohistochemical examination of LH/CGR may be useful in the differentiation between benign and malignant lesions in the adrenal cortex. Moreover, the loss of membrane localization of LH/CGR in adrenocortical cancer suggests the alteration of receptors' function.
ISSN:0239-8508
1897-5631
DOI:10.5603/FHC.a2019.0003