Abstract
Some phenomena implicate androgenic steroid as existing effects in laryngeal sexual differences and disease. For this reason, specific androgen binding proteins in tissue from the laryngeal region have been examined, and antiandrogens have been used to treat laryngeal carcinoma. However, there have been few experimental data documenting its presence, especially concerning with the location of receptors for androgenic steroids in male and female larynx. To investigate this problem whether androgen is taken up by the tissue of human laryngeal carcinoma or normal mucosa of the larynx, an autoradiographical study was performed. Tumors used in this study were moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinomas. Immediately after resection, the samples were put into Eagle's MEN, and incubated at 37°C for 1 hour with a specific radio ligand, 3H-Testosterone (3H-T). 3H-T and its metabolites were found to be concentrated in nuclei of epithelial cells of the male vocal cord and some parts of male laryngeal carcinoma tissues. This suggest some effect of testosterone on these cell nuclei. However, the silver grain distribution in the cell nuclei per 10000m2 of nuclear area (average specific concentration) was not uniformly distributed in the same specimen. Male laryngeal carcinoma cells can possibly be classified into several cell types, according to the extent of silver grain distribution of nuclei. Laryngeal carcinoma seems to be composed of various cell types with different sensitivity to androgenic steroid. Nevertheless, distribution of the silver grains per cell was similar in the same specimen of laryngeal carcinoma. Quantitative analysis of the intracellular distribution of radioactivity by silver grain counting showed about 60-75 % of 3H-T to be associated with the nuclear compartment of the small cell type of laryngeal carcinoma and the epithelium of vocal cord bordering on the basementmembrane. This value appeared to be similar to the results in other sex hormone target organ reported elsewhere. These findings provide some evidence that human laryngeal tissue, especially vocal cords, and laryngeal carcinomas might be one of the target organs for androgenic steroids.
