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Ghrelin immunoexpression in pituitary adenomas

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Abstract

Ghrelin, an orexigenic hormone, is normally produced mainly in stomach. In addition, it has been demonstrated in gastric carcinoid tumors and less often in other neuroendocrine tumors. We investigated ghrelin expression by immunohistochemistry (streptavidin–biotin-peroxidase complex method) in the full spectrum of resected pituitary adenoma subtypes. Quantification of staining considered both the frequency of ghrelin-reactive tumor cells as well as their staining intensity. Cytoplasmic ghrelin immunopositivity was identified in several adenoma subtypes. Cellular staining varied considerably. In addition, the intensity of cell staining differed within the same tumor and between adenoma subtypes. The highest scores were noted in GH producing adenomas exposed to long-acting somatostatin analogs. In decreasing order, lower scores were encountered in ACTH adenomas in Cushing disease, silent subtype 3 adenomas, untreated GH adenomas, silent corticotroph adenomas of subtypes 1 and 2, dopamine agonist-treated PRL adenomas, ACTH adenomas in Nelson syndrome, and gonadotroph adenomas. No significant immunoreactivity was noted in TSH, untreated PRL, and null cell adenomas. The high immunoexpression of ghrelin in GH adenomas exposed to long-acting somatostatin analogs remains unexplained, but may be due to either increased ghrelin production or to suppression of its release. Based on our findings, it appears that ghrelin immunopositivity does not serve as a biomarker of biologic behavior, prognosis and therapeutic responsiveness in pituitary adenomas.

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Acknowledgment

Authors are grateful to the Jarislowsky and Lloyd Carr-Harris Foundations for their generous support. Authors wish to thank Ms. Corrine Holubowich for the literature search and Mrs. Denise Chase for excellent secretarial service.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pathology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada

    Fabio Rotondo, Angelo Rotondo & Kalman Kovacs

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada

    Michael Cusimano

  3. Division of Anatomic Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

    Bernd W. Scheithauer

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe and Clinica Medellin, Medellin, Colombia

    Luis V. Syro

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  1. Fabio Rotondo
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  2. Michael Cusimano
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  3. Bernd W. Scheithauer
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  4. Angelo Rotondo
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  5. Luis V. Syro
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  6. Kalman Kovacs
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Correspondence to Fabio Rotondo.

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Rotondo, F., Cusimano, M., Scheithauer, B.W. et al. Ghrelin immunoexpression in pituitary adenomas. Pituitary 14, 318–322 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11102-011-0296-1

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