Expression of 5 alpha-reductases in human epithelial ovarian cancer: Its correlation with androgen receptor status

Androgen metabolism and possible actions are considered to play some roles in human epithelial ovarian neoplasms, but the details have not been well s tudied. We have examined the expression of 5 alpha -reductase type 1 and ty pe 2, which catalyze the conversion of testosterone to more active androgen , 5 alpha -dehydrotestosterone. and androgen receptor (AR), using immunohis tochemistry (104 cases) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (16 cases) as a first step toward understanding the metabolism an d possible actions of androgens in human common epithelial ovarian carcinom a. 5 alpha -Reductase type 1 was immunopositive in 75/104 cases (72.0%), an d 5 alpha -reductase type 2 in 52/104 cases (50.0%) (P<0.001). There was no significant correlation between patterns of immunolocalization and clinico pathological parameters examined. Median labeling index (LI) for AR was 17. 8% (range 0-84.4%) which was significantly higher in serous carcinoma than other histological types (P<0.001). There was a significant positive correl ation between 5 alpha -reductase type 1 immunoreactivity and AR Ll (P=0.002 7), but no significant correlation was detected in 5 alpha -reductase type 2. Results of RT-PCR analysis were also consistent with those of immunohist ochemistry. The relatively wide distribution of 5 alpha -reductase type 1, and its correlation to AR status in human epithelial ovarian malignancies s uggest that this isozyme plays important roles in androgen metabolism and a ctions in these tumors.