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VEGF and CD31 Association in Pituitary Adenomas

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Abstract

Pituitary tumors are usually less vascularized than the normal pituitary, and the role of angiogenesis in these adenomas is contentious. Appraisal of microvascular density and expression of the potent angiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by immunohistochemistry has yielded controversial results, as a broad spectrum of immunostaining can be found. We determined the protein expression of VEGF and CD31, an endothelial marker, in a series of 56 surgically removed pituitary adenomas using Western blot assay. Prolactinomas had higher VEGF protein expression compared to nonfunctioning or ACTH- and GH-secreting adenomas, while CD31 was similar in the different adenoma histotypes. VEGF and CD31 were not affected by sex, age, years of adenoma evolution, or proliferation rate (Ki67 and PCNA) for all adenoma types. Only in nonfunctioning adenomas CD31 concentration increased significantly with age. There was a positive correlation between CD31 and VEGF expression when all adenoma histotypes were considered, or when prolactinomas and nonfunctioning adenomas were evaluated separately. The positive association of VEGF and CD31 expression suggests the participation of angiogenesis in adenoma development, while epithelial cell proliferation in pituitary tumors is not directly related to VEGF or CD31 expression, and other factors, such as primary genetic alterations may be involved.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from CONICET (PIP 640 to DBV), Fundación Alberto J. Roemmers (DBV), Fundación Fiorini (DBV), and Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Técnica, Buenos Aires, Argentina (PICT 2006, N206, to DBV).

Conflict of Interest

The authors report no conflict of interest concerning the materials or methods used in this study or the findings specified in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Vuelta de Obligado 2490, 1428, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Carolina Cristina, María Inés Perez-Millan, Guillermina Luque, Raúl Ariel Dulce & Damasia Becu-Villalobos

  2. Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNNOBA), Roque Sáenz Peña 456, 6000, Junín, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Carolina Cristina

  3. Department of Neuropathology, Institute for Neurological Research FLENI, Montañeses 2325, Buenos Aires, C1428AQK, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Gustavo Sevlever

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Santa Lucía, Buenos Aires, 1232, Argentina

    Silvia Inés Berner

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  1. Carolina Cristina
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Damasia Becu-Villalobos.

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CC and MIPM shared the work equally.

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Cristina, C., Perez-Millan, M.I., Luque, G. et al. VEGF and CD31 Association in Pituitary Adenomas. Endocr Pathol 21, 154–160 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12022-010-9119-6

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