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Correlation between the androgen receptor status of the appendix testis and the efficacy of human chorionic gonadotropin treatment in undescended testis

  • Urology - Original Paper
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Abstract

Purpose

To compare the androgen receptor (AR) status of the appendix testis (AT) in congenital undescended and retractile testes.

Materials and methods

Twenty-four appendix testes (AT) were removed from 21 boys to detect AR expression by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining. Group 1 (n = 3) includes ATs from three patients with unilateral and group 2 (n = 6) with bilateral congenital undescended testis. All patients with bilateral form had been previously treated with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) without an acceptable effect. Group 3 (n = 12) includes ATs collected from 12 boys with acquired undescended testis or retractile testicle. Group 4 (n = 3) includes ATs from three young adults who received hCG treatment for undescended testis in their childhood and underwent open testicular biopsy to investigate infertility. Further seven ATs were collected to detect AR mRNA using RT-PCR analysis.

Results

Both immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining of ATs showed AR expression in 100 % of the cases in groups 3 and 4 (12/12 and 3/3), but there was no visible AR expression in groups 1 and 2 (0/3 and 0/6); however, RT-PCR analysis revealed mRNA expression of AR both in congenital undescended and in retractile testicles.

Conclusions

The presence of AR in the epithelial cells of AT in patients with retractile testicle and its absence in patients with congenital undescended testis can be a possible cause of the effectiveness of hormonal treatment in retractile testis and its inefficacy in patients with congenital undescended testis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Nagyeredi krt. 98, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary

    Gyula Drabik, Mátyás Benyó & Tibor Flaskó

  2. Division of Urology, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

    Tamás Józsa

  3. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary

    Olga Ruzsnavszky

  4. Division of Pathology, Kenézy Gyula Hospital, Debrecen, Hungary

    Kornél Kistamás, Beatrix Dienes & Ilona Kovacs

Authors
  1. Gyula Drabik
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  2. Tamás Józsa
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  3. Olga Ruzsnavszky
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  4. Kornél Kistamás
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  5. Beatrix Dienes
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  6. Ilona Kovacs
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  7. Mátyás Benyó
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  8. Tibor Flaskó
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gyula Drabik.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standard

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was obtained from the parents or guardians before the children entered the study. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of MHSCUD.

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Drabik, G., Józsa, T., Ruzsnavszky, O. et al. Correlation between the androgen receptor status of the appendix testis and the efficacy of human chorionic gonadotropin treatment in undescended testis. Int Urol Nephrol 47, 1235–1239 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-015-1037-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-015-1037-6

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