RESUMEN
The enzymatic complex 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase Delta5-Delta4 isomerase(3beta-HSD) catalyzes the obligatory oxidation and isomerization of Delta4-hydroxypregnene and Delta5-hydroxyandrostene steroid precursors into Delta4-ketosteroid necessary for the formation of all classes of steroid hormones such as glucocorticoid, mineralocorticoid, progesterone, androgen and estrogen. The 3beta-HSD enzymatic activity is present at the syncytiotrophoblast, the sebaceous gland of the skin, the Leydig cells of the testis, the thecal cells and granulosa lutein cells ofthe ovary in human. So we thought that 3beta-HSD antibody can be used to diagnose several steroidogenic tumors in human, but there has been few trial for it. In this study, we made polyclonal antibody against human placental 3beta-HSD. And then immunohistochemical studies with the antibody were performed to diagnose several kinds of steroidogenic tumors in human. The polyclonal antibody detected specifically the placental protein of 43 KDa by Western blotting. And the polyclonal antibody reacted on the syncytiotrophoblast, the sebaceous gland of the skin, the Leydig cells of the testis, adrenal cortex, the thecal cells and granulosa lutein cells of the ovary with immunohistochemical staining. In immunohistochemical staining, the polyclonal antibody against 3beta-HSD reacted on the primary and metastatic choriocarcinoma, placental site trophoblastic tumor, sebaceous carcinoma, adrenal cortical adenoma and carcinoma. But it did not react on the squamous cell carcinoma, the basal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma of the skin, the adenocacinoma and the leiomyosarcoma of the uterus, the metastatic and primary renal cell carcinoma. From these results, the polyclonal antibody against human placental 3beta-HSD demonstrated to have specific reaction on steroidogenic tumors and also it can be used in differential diagnosis of primary and metastatic related to steroid hormone.