engleski

Alpha- and LHbeta- subunit determination in the patients with nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas

Paradoxical responses of gonadotropins and their subunits in TRH test have been reported in patients with clinically nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPA). In the present study we have made an in-house RIA for measuring LHbeta- subunit and alpha-subunit (alpha-SU) responses to TRH in 33 patients with NFPA and their concentrations in cell culture media of 9 NFPA. Thirteen of 33 patients (39.4 percent) had significant serum LHbeta responses to TRH and 18/33 (54.5 percent) had significant alpha-SU responses. Six of nine (66.7 percent) cultivated NFPA secreted Lhbeta and 8/9 (88.8 percent) secreted alpha-SU into the cell culture media. A significant correlation was obtained between the quantity of alpha-SU and LHbeta released in vitro and their maximal percent responses to TRH in vivo. The results indicate that the majority of NFPA (75.8 percent) can be recognized as of gonadotroph origin by a combination of LHbeta and/or alpha-SU responses to TRH.

nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas; TRH test; LH beta; alpha-subunit

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