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Biomedical subjects

F Kuttenn

Publications and source records attributed to F Kuttenn.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

[Evaluation of 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity as a marker of the hormone dependence of breast cancers].

Intratumoral activity of the enzyme 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17 beta-HSD) was measured in 55 patients with breast cancer (17 pre- and 38 post-menopausal) before and/or after 8 days of a progestin treatment (lynestrenol 10 mg/day). In 12 patients the 17 beta-HSD ability to be stimulated was compared to estradiol and progesterone receptor (ER and PR) levels. In premenopausal patients 17 beta-HSD was higher when tumorectomy was performed in the luteal phase than in the follicular phase. In post-menopausal patients, 17 beta-HSD is higher after progestin treatment. However 17 beta-HSD stimulation by lynestrenol depends on receptor levels. It is most after markedly stimulated in ER+ PR+ tumors. It remains low in ER- PR- tumors. In conclusion, intratumoral measurement of the progesterone dependent enzyme (17 beta-HSD) in breast cancer after progestin treatment provides a fine and reliable index of the presence and functional character of PR and hormone dependence of the tumor.

17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Estradiol 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, a marker of breast cancer hormone dependency.

Intratumoral activity of the progesterone-dependent enzyme 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (E2DH) was measured in 114 patients with breast cancer (33 pre- and 81 postmenopausal) before and/or after 8 days of a progestin treatment (lynestrenol, 10 mg/day). In 12 postmenopausal patients, the ability of E2DH to be stimulated by lynestrenol was compared to estradiol receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) levels. In premenopausal patients, E2DH was higher when tumors were excised in the luteal phase than when excised in the follicular phase. In postmenopausal patients, E2DH was higher after progestin treatment. However, E2DH stimulation by lynestrenol depended on receptor levels. It was most often markedly stimulated in ER-positive, PR-positive tumors. It remained low in ER-negative, PR-negative tumors. Intratumoral measurement of the progesterone-dependent enzyme E2DH in breast cancer after progestin treatment could therefore provide a fine and reliable index of the presence and functional character of PR and hormone dependency of the tumor.

17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Embryonic testicular regression syndrome and severe mental retardation in sibs.

The embryonic testicular regression syndrome associated with severe mental retardation is reported in three 46,XY sibs each of whom has a 46,XY chromosome complement. A fourth sib, a sister, also is severely retarded mentally; her chromosome complement is 46,XX. The 46,XY individuals, who were raised as females, presented varying degrees of genital ambiguity, indicating that their gonadal activities had been arrested at different times during embryogenesis. No trace of gonadal tissue could be found in either patient. The coincidence of the embryonic testicular regression syndrome and severe mental retardation in the same sibship is discussed.

Adult↗

[Intratumoral levels and metabolism of 4-hydroxytamoxifen after percutaneous administration at the breast level].

(3H)-4 hydroxytamoxifen (4O H Tam), the active metabolite of the antiestrogen tamoxifen (Tam) was dissolved in ethanol and locally percutaneously administered on 4 human breast carcinomas before surgery. 12, 24, 72 hrs. and 7 days later, (3H)-4O H Tam was recovered in cytosol and nuclear fractions of the tumor. Only traces of radioactivity were recovered in plasma. From these results it appears clearly that the percutaneous administration of 4O H Tam on the mammary gland yields a local antiestrogen effect without the systemic effects observed in case of oral administration of Tam.

Administration, Topical↗

Androgen metabolism in hirsute patients treated with cyproterone acetate.

Cyproterone acetate (CPA) in association with percutaneously administered estradiol has been used for the treatment of 150 hirsute patients for periods ranging from 6 months to 3 years. A spectacular clinical improvement ensued. Plasma testosterone (T) and androstenedione (A) fell from 69.0 +/- 24 to 33.0 +/- 8 and 210 +/- 103 to 119 +/- 25 ng/dl (mean +/- SD) respectively after 3 months of treatment and remained low thereafter. In contrast, T glucuronide (TG) and 3 alpha-androstanediol (Adiol) remained high during the whole course of treatment: 37 +/- 9 and 115 +/- 43 micrograms/24 h respectively. In vitro T 5 alpha-reductase activity (5 alpha-R) in pubic skin decreased from 147 +/- 34 to 79 +/- 17 fmol/mg skin after 1 year of treatment. To elucidate the discrepancy between plasma and urinary androgens levels, T production rate (PR) and metabolic clearance rate (MCR) were measured with the constant infusion technique in 7 patients before and after 6 months of treatment. PR decreased from 988 +/- 205 to 380 +/- 140 micrograms/24 h (mean +/- SD). In contrast MCRT increased from 1275 +/- 200 to 1632 +/- 360 1/24 h; this increase in MCRT explains the striking plasma T concentration fall and the high TG and Adiol excretion relative to the decrease in PR. Antipyrine clearance rate (n = 8) increased from 36.3 +/- 5.2 to 51.5 +/- 7.4 ml/min whereas 6 beta hydroxycortisol remained unchanged. In conclusion, CPA acts through several mechanisms: (1) it lowers the androgen input to the target cells by (a) depressing T production through its antigonadotropic effect and (b) accelerating T metabolic inactivation due to a partial enzymatic inducer effect on the liver; (2) at the target cell level it competes with any remaining T for the receptor binding sites; (3) the decrease in the androgen-dependent skin 5 alpha-R is a consequence of both actions of androgen suppression and androgen receptor blockade; it reinforces the antiandrogenic effect of CPA.

3-Oxo-5-alpha-Steroid 4-Dehydrogenase↗

17 beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity in human breast epithelial cell and fibroblast cultures.

Primary cultures of human breast cells prepared from surgical specimens of reduction mammoplasty were used to study the activity of the enzyme 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (E2DH) which converts estradiol (E2) into its less active metabolite estrone. This study was performed in both epithelial and stromal cells separated, after collagenase digestion of the tissue, on a Percoll gradient, and then cultured as monolayers in Ham's F 10 medium supplemented differently for epithelial cells and fibroblasts. E2DH activity was strikingly higher in epithelial cells than in fibroblasts, since after [3H]E2 incubation (2 nM), 600 fmol/micrograms DNA were metabolized to estrone in epithelial cells after 1 h, whereas an equivalent amount was hardly obtained in fibroblast cultures after 24 h. The affinity and capacity of E2DH were greater in epithelial cells with apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) = 0.6 +/- 0.1 microM and maximum velocity (Vmax) = 250 to 360 pmol/micrograms DNA/h, whereas they were 10 +/- 1 microM and 50 to 70 pmol/micrograms DNA/h, respectively, in fibroblast cultures. Moreover, the E2DH activity was 2 to 5 times higher in epithelial cells cultured in the presence of the progestin medroxyprogesterone acetate, whereas it remained unchanged in fibroblasts cultured under the same conditions. This increase in E2DH activity was dose dependent from 10(-10) to 10(-7) M medroxyprogesterone acetate and inhibited by both actinomycin D and cycloheximide. This system of differential breast cell culture appears to be a fruitful tool for the study of the hormone dependence of normal breast growth and differentiation. Due to the presence of E2DH, epithelial cells are more apt to undergo and to moderate E2 action. Moreover, epithelial cells are a possible site of progesterone modulation of E2DH activity. Therefore, E2DH could be a good marker both for epithelial cells and their hormone dependence.

17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

[Problems posed by pregnancy in women with lupus nephropathy].

The influence of lupus nephropathy on pregnancy and reciprocally was retrospectively studied in a series of 131 pregnancies observed from 1962 to 1981 in 45 systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE) women with renal involvement. Renal biopsy showed proliferative lupus glomerulonephritis in 27. The incidence of live births, corrected for induced abortions, was 87% in 89 pregnancies started before, and 89% in 32 started after the clinical onset of SLE; it was only 63% in 10 cases where lupus nephritis developed during gestation. Relapse or exacerbation of disease activity occurred in 15 (47%) of 32 pregnancies antedated by the onset of SLE, with irreversible renal failure in two cases. Clinical exacerbation of SLE was observed in 13 (76%) of 17 cases where SLE was clinically active at the time of conception, and in only 2 of 15 cases where lupus nephritis was in stable clinical remission for at least 5 months prior to conception. Our data suggest that a successful outcome of pregnancy, without SLE exacerbation, may be expected, even in the more severe forms of lupus nephritis, when gestation begins after a sustained, complete clinical remission.

Adult↗

[Treatment of hirsutism with cyproterone acetate and percutaneous estradiol].

One-hundred and fifty hirsute women (68 with type I or II polycystic ovary syndrome and 82 with idiopathic hirsutism) were treated for periods of 6 to 48 months with oral cyproterone (CPA), a drug with peripheral antiandrogenic, antigonadotrophic and progestative properties, and 17 beta-estradiol given percutaneously to ensure estrogenic impregnation. CPA was administered in daily doses of 50 mg from day 5 to day 25 of the menstrual cycle, and E 2 (3 mg/day) from day 16 to day 25. The dramatic regression of hirsutism observed after 3 to 6 months of treatment was paralleled by a marked decrease of plasma testosterone and delta 4-androstenedione levels and a decrease of the androgen-dependent skin testosterone 5 alpha-reductase. The CPA-percutaneous E 2 combination also has contraceptive properties. Beside its remarkable therapeutic effectiveness, it has the advantages of avoiding the adverse reactions reported with higher doses of CPA and the metabolic and vascular effects of synthetic estrogen administered orally.

Administration, Oral↗

Androgen binding capacity and 5 alpha-reductase activity in pubic skin fibroblasts from hirsute patients.

We have measured the total (cytosolic plus nuclear) androgen binding capacity of pubic skin fibroblasts from nine patients with hirsutism of various origin. Confluent intact cell monolayers were incubated with increasing concentrations (0.05-2 nM) of [3H]dihydrotestosterone ([3H]DHT) with or without a 200-fold excess of unlabeled DHT. The androgen binding capacities (mean +/- SD) were similar in normal men (411 +/- 171 fmol/mg DNA), women (310 +/- 103 fmol/mg DNA), and hirsute patients (313 +/- 141 fmol/mg DNA) regardless of the plasma androgen levels. In contrast, the 5 alpha-reductase level in pubic skin fibroblasts (mean +/- SD) was, as previously described, higher in hirsute women (3.3 +/- 2.6 fmol/micrograms DNA . h) than in normal women (1.1 +/- 0.6 fmol/microgram DNA . h; P less than 0.05). We conclude from these data that: 1) increased androgen binding capacity cannot be held responsible for hypersensitivity to androgens in hirsutism; 2) the androgen receptor is not regulated by androgens in human skin, as similar levels are observed in men, women, and hirsute patients; 3) this contrasts with 5 alpha-reductase activity and emphasizes the importance of this enzyme as an amplifier of androgen action in areas where it is stimulated by androgens, such as pubic skin.

3-Oxo-5-alpha-Steroid 4-Dehydrogenase↗

[The mechanism of action of cyproterone acetate in the treatment of hirsutism].

Cyproterone acetate (CPA) in association with percutaneously offinistered estradiol has been used for the treatment of 150 hirsute patients for periods ranging from 6 months to 3 years. A spectacular clinical improvement ensued. Plasma testosterone (T) and androstenedione (A) fell from 69 +/- 24 to 33 +/- 8 and 210 +/- 103 to 119 +/- 25 ng/dl (mean +/- SD) respectively after 3 months of treatment and remained low thereafter. In contrast, T glucuronide (Tg) and 3 alpha-androstanediol (Adiol) remained high during the whole course of treatment: 37 +/- 9 and 115 +/- 43 micrograms/24 h respectively. In vitro T 5 alpha-reductase activity (5 alpha-R) in pubic skin decreased from 147 +/- 34 to 79 +/- 17 fmol/mg skin after 1 year of treatment. To elucidate the discrepancy between plasma and urinary androgens levels, T production rate (PR) and metabolic clearance rate (MCR) were measured with the constant infusion technique in 6 patients before and after 6 months of treatment. PR decreased from 988 +/- 205 to 380 +/- 140 micrograms/24 h (mean +/- SD). In contrast MCRT increased from 1275 +/- 200 to 1632 +/- 360 1/24 h; this increase in MCRT explains the striking plasma T concentration fall and the high TG and Adiol excretion relative to the decrease in PR. Antipyrine clearance rate (n = 8) increased from 36.3 +/- 5.2 to 51.5 +/- 7.4 ml/min whereas urinary/6 beta hydroxycortisol remained unchanged. In conclusion, CPA acts through several mechanisms:(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

[Steroid hormone receptors in benign breast diseases].

Benign breast diseases generally occur in women with progesterone insufficiency and an unopposed estrogen status. This hormonal imbalance is also a main risk factor for breast cancer in the long run. The presence of estradiol and progesterone receptors in benign breast disease are additional proof of their hormone dependence. The level of receptors is higher when the epithelial cellularity is high and also in more recent lesions, and younger women. The level and subcellular location of the receptors also depend on the endogenous secretion of steroids: their level varies throughout the menstrual cycle, and it is maximal at the end of the follicular phase, due to the high estradiol secretion. The cytosol and nuclear level and location of the receptors are also modified by hormonal therapy: estrogen-progestagens given as a contraceptive, or progestins given as a substitutive and antiestrogen therapy. These modifications constitute a biochemical basis for the hormonal progestagen treatment of benign breast diseases.

Adenofibroma↗

[Effect of hormonal contraception on the course of lupus nephropathy].

Influence of oral contraceptive therapy on SLE activity was evaluated in 33 female patients with lupus nephropathy. Estroprogestative preparations containing either 50 micrograms (18 cases) or 30 micrograms (11 cases) of ethinylestradiol were used in 29 courses in 28 patients. Onset or exacerbation of clinical SLE activity occurred within 3 months after starting hormonal therapy in 13 cases, an overall incidence of lupus flare-up of 44 percent, involving major renal histological lesions in 5 cases. In contrast, of 16 patients receiving pure progestogen contraceptive therapy with either discontinuous normal dosage progestogens (9 cases) or continuous low-dose norsteroids (7 cases), only one developed clinical or immunological evidence of lupus exacerbation within 3 months of hormonal therapy. We conclude that oral contraceptive therapy using estrogens, even at low dosage, is associated with a high risk of SLE exacerbation. Pure progestogens, which have proven effective and devoid of such unfavorable effects, should be preferred in these patients when hormonal contraception is needed.

Contraceptives, Oral↗

[Virilizing ovarian tumours. Contribution of selective venous catheterization to the diagnosis].

The presence of a virilizing ovarian hilum cell tumours was suspected on account of a rise of plasma testosterone level above 3.5 ng/ml in one patient and a rise of plasma androstenedione level above 3.0 ng/ml in another. The diagnosis was made by selective catheterization of the ovarian and adrenal veins, which showed a high androgen concentration gradient in the vein of the ovary affected as compared with that observed in the adrenal and peripheral veins, and was confirmed by histological examination after ovariectomy. These two cases are contrasted with two other cases with high testosterone plasma levels but without gradient on selective catheterization. One of the patients had abnormal hepatic metabolism (porto-caval shunt) and the other had taken high doses of androgens.

Adrenal Glands↗