Tissue concentrations of estrogens and aromatase immunolocalization in interstitial pneumonia of human lung

Shinji Taniuchi; Fumiyoshi Fujishima; Yasuhiro Miki; Keiko Abe; Yasuhiro Nakamura; Satoko Sato; Atsuko Kasajima; Misaki Fue; Kazuyuki Ishida; Mika Watanabe; Tomohiro Sakakibara; Sumiko Maeda; Takashi Suzuki; Hironobu Sasano

doi:10.1016/j.mce.2014.05.016

Tissue concentrations of estrogens and aromatase immunolocalization in interstitial pneumonia of human lung

Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2014 Jul 5;392(1-2):136-43. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2014.05.016. Epub 2014 May 23.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Departments of Pathology, Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
² Departments of Anatomic Pathology, Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan; Department of Disaster Obstetrics and Gynecology, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
³ Department of Pathology, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
⁴ Departments of Anatomic Pathology, Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
⁵ Department of Disaster Obstetrics and Gynecology, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁶ Division of Diagnostic Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan.
⁷ Departments of Respiratory Medicine, Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
⁸ Departments of Thoracic Surgery, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan.
⁹ Departments of Pathology and Histotechnology, Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan. Electronic address: t-suzuki@patholo2.med.tohoku.ac.jp.
¹⁰ Departments of Pathology, Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan; Departments of Anatomic Pathology, Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.

PMID: 24861259
DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2014.05.016

Abstract

Interstitial pneumonia (IP) is characterized by various degrees of pulmonary fibrosis and inflammation. Estrogens have been demonstrated to play important roles in physiological and pathological conditions of human lung, but significance of estrogens has remained unknown in human IP. Therefore, we measured estrogen concentrations and immunolocalized aromatase and estrogen receptor β (ERβ) in IP tissues. Estradiol concentration was significantly (2.8-fold) higher in IP than normal lung tissues, and aromatase activity evaluated by estradiol/testosterone ratio was also significantly (7.2-fold) elevated in IP tissues. Aromatase immunoreactivity in alveolar epithelial cells was significantly frequent in IP than normal lung or inflammatory lung disease other than IP, and it was positively associated with ERβ immunoreactivity in these cells of IP. These results suggest that estradiol concentration is locally increased in human IP tissue by aromatase, and increased estrogens may play an important role in the development of IP through ERβ in the alveolar epithelial cells.

Keywords: Aromatase; Estrogen; Interstitial pneumonia; Lung.

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aromatase / metabolism*
Epithelial Cells / enzymology
Estrogen Receptor alpha / metabolism
Estrogen Receptor beta / metabolism
Estrogens / metabolism*
Female
Humans
Lung / enzymology
Lung / metabolism*
Lung / pathology
Lung Diseases, Interstitial / enzymology
Lung Diseases, Interstitial / metabolism*
Lung Diseases, Interstitial / pathology
Male
Middle Aged
Young Adult

Substances

Estrogen Receptor alpha
Estrogen Receptor beta
Estrogens
Aromatase