Abstract
The variation with age of the Br, Fe, Rb, Sr, and Zn concentration in prostatic tissue and the relationship of these trace elements with basic histological structures of nonhyperplastic prostate glands of 65 subjects aged 21-87 years was investigated by an energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and a quantitative morphometric analysis. Mean values ± standard error of the mean (M±SEM) for the concentrations (mg/L) of these trace elements were: Br 7.89±0.93, Fe 22.2±1.2, Rb 3.49±0.18, Sr 0.43±0.08, and Zn 191±16. The significant trend for increase with age in Fe and Zn concentration as well as for increase with age in relative volume of stroma and decrease in relative volume of epithelium was found. Using the Pearson correlation between trace element concentration and morphometric parameters, it was demonstrated that the glandular lumen is a main pool of Sr and Zn accumulation in the normal human prostate, for the age range 21 to 87 years. It was concluded that the Sr and Zn bind tightly within the prostatic fluid, because the volume of glandular lumen reflects the volume of prostatic fluid. For ages above 40 years conclusive evidence of a disturbance in prostatic intracellular homeostasis of Fe was also shown. PCa development. The etiology of both BPH and PCa is believed to be multifactorial. Both diseases may occur due to subtle changes in male hormones with age as well as other factors including levels of Ca, Zn, and other chemical elements in prostate tissue (8-14). In our previous studies higher levels of Zn, Ca, and Mg as well as some other chemical elements were observed in prostate tissue of adult males when compared with nonprostatic soft tissues of the human body (15-19). High accumulation of these elements suggests that they may play an important role in prostate function and health. Moreover, levels of some chemical elements were found to increase in the prostate tissue after puberty and throughout adulthood, and in some cases this increase was shown to be androgen-dependent (20-27). The reason for this increase in chemical element content in the normal prostate gland is not completely understood. In addition, longstanding questions about the main pool and the local distribution of chemical elements in adult and geriatric prostate still remain open (28-37). Prostatic tissue contains three main components: glandular tissue, prostatic fluid, and fibromuscular tissue or stroma. Glandular tissue includes acini and ducts. Epithelial cells (E) surround the periphery of the acini and luminal surfaces (L) in acini (glandular lumina). Prostatic fluid fills the lumina in the acini. Stromal tissue (S) is composed of smooth muscle, connective tissue, fibroblasts, nerves, lymphatic and blood vessels. Thus, the volume of the prostate gland may be represented as a sum of volumes (E+L+S). This makes it possible to quantitative morphological data using a stereological approach (20). Cellular alterations that include changes in the epithelium and stroma are implicated in the development and growth of the prostate gland, as well as in BPH and PCa pathogenesis (38,39). However, the data on age-dependence of main histological components of normal prostates is extremely limited (40,41). Moreover, some contradictory results were obtained in these studies.
Highlights
More than 70% the male population aged >60 years has clinical or histologic evidence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), while prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common male noncutaneous malignancy in the Western world [1,2]
In the histological normal prostates of adults we observed a statistically significant increase with age of Fe and Zn concentrations as well as in per cent volume of stroma and lumen, accompanied by a decrease in per cent volume of lumen (Figure 1 and Table 4)
In accordance with earlier findings, we found that Zn concentration is age-dependent [63,64,65,66,67]
Summary
More than 70% the male population aged >60 years has clinical or histologic evidence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), while prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common male noncutaneous malignancy in the Western world [1,2]. Understanding etiologies of both conditions is crucial to reducing the resulting burden of mortality and morbidity. The prevalence of BPH rises sharply with age. It is possible to speculate that there are some age-dependence factors in prostate tissue which disturb a balance between normal cell proliferation and apoptosis. An elevated level of cell proliferation promotes BPH and Reviewed & Approved by: Dr Stephen Leslie, Creighton University School of Medicine, USA
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