METABOLISM AND ACTION OF STEROID-HORMONES ON HUMAN BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA AND PROSTATIC-CARCINOMA GROWN IN ORGAN-CULTURE

The metabolism of testosterone was examined in normal human prostate, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostatic carcinoma in organ culture. Dihydrotestosterone was the principal metabolite in the normal and hyperplastic prostate and in most of the carcinomas, although over half of the carcinomas produced less DHT than the benign tissue. There was no correlation between their degree of differentiation and their metabolic pattern but carcinomas from the oldest patients formed significantly greater amounts of 17-keto-metabolites. The effect of testosterone, its active metabolites and oestradiol-17β on the growth and differentiation of BPH and prostatic carcinoma in organ culture were correlated with changes in DNA and RNA synthesis, studied by autoradiographic methods. In the absence of hormones, explants of BPH grew well but showed signs of squamous transformation. Treatment with androgens prevented the metaplasia and preserved the secretory activity of the epithelium, while oestradiol caused cellular necrosis. In the BPH, DNA synthesis was depressed by oestradiol and unaffected by the androgens, except for 3α-androstanediol which increased it. RNA synthesis was increased by the androgens and reduced by oestradiol. In the carcinoma, the androgens as well as oestradiol depressed DNA synthesis while RNA synthesis was increased by the androgens but not affected by oestradiol. In both BPH and carcinoma, the stromal cells and the epithelium responded similarly to hormonal treatment. © 1979.