Endogenous concentrations of oestrone and oestradiol in atrophic and pathological human post-menopausal endometrium

203

150

ENDOGENOUS CONCENTRATIONS OF

OESTRONE AND

OESTRADIOL IN

ATROPHIC AND

PATHOLOGICAL HUMAN POST-MENOPAUSALENDOMETRIUM

C.

Vermeulen-Meiners, J.

Poortman, A.A. Haspels and

J.H. Thijssen -

Utrecht, The Netherlands

The endogenous tissue levels of measured

were

in

54

oestrone (El) and

oestradiol

(E2) (pg/gT)

post-menopausal atrophic endometria, 7

hyperplastic

endometria, 3 atypical adenomatous hyperplastic endometria and

6

carcinomatous

endometria. Measurements were performed in accordance with a method described by van Landeghem et al. Cl]. A wide variation was observed in no

correlations with

plasma levels

was the most abundant intracellular oestrogen significant

difference

all

four groups and

(pglml) of El or E2 were found. Oestradiol in all

between the oestrogen

tissue

the

groups.

levels

There

was

no

in the four different

groups. The mean tissue/plasma ratio for E2 was 50 in hyperplastic,

34

atrophic

group,

44

in the

in the pre-carcinomatousand 26 in the carcinomatous group. For

El this ratio was 9, 5, 2.5 and 15 in ratio is

the

higher in

the

respective groups. The

mean

E2/E1

tissue than in plasma. In the same sequence, this ratio in

tissue was 1.6, 3.9, 3 and 0.3, and in plasma it was 0.3, 0.4, 0.2, and 0.2.

We concluded that it is unlikely that oestrogens alone play a the

process of

endometrial dedifferentiation leading to

a

crucial role in pre-malignant or

malignant deviation.

Cl] Landeghem AA van, Poortman J, Helmond-Agema A, Thijssen JH: endogenous subcellular concentration of Biochem. 1984; 20: 639-644.

steroids in

Measurement of

tissue. J

Steroid