Polyamine Profiles in Human Pathological Prostate Tissue

Abstract

Polyamine concentrations were determined in homogenized specimens of human prostatic tissue obtained at open surgery from patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy, some of whom had been treated with oestrogens or anti-androgens, and from patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma in whom the tissues were removed by transurethral resection. The results show that in treated benign prostatic hyperplasia there is a lower polyamine concentration. Homogenates of tissues from patients with prostatic cancer show no specific polyamine profile.

Androgen Interaction with the Polyamine System of the Rat Prostate

“…Aside from their role as intracellular mediators of cell biochemistry they are also secreted in large quantities by the prostate gland (Mann and Lutwak-Mann -1981), the purpose of which is still unknown. Disturbances in prostatic function in the form of hyperplasia or malignancy are associated with alterations in the ratios of these polyamines and their diamine precursor putrescine, suggesting alterations in the biosynthetic pathway (Dunzendorfer and Russell -1978;van Sande et al -1983). Moreover, inhibition of key enzymes in this pathwy by antagonistic analogues of the polyamines can arrest the growth of prostate tumours (Heston et al -1982;Dunzendorfer et al -1983;Herr and Kleinert -1984).…”