Effect of hormone treatment on prostatic acid phosphatase in a serially transplantable human prostatic adenocarcinoma (PC-82).

The influence of endocrine manipulation on the tissue concentration of prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) was studied in the hormone dependent transplantable human prostatic tumor line PC-82. Tumor bearing nude mice were left intact, castrated or treated for a 5-day period with a subcutaneous implant containing testosterone or estradiol. The concentration of PAP in castrated mice was not different from that in the controls. The DNA content of PC-82 tumor tissue obtained from 5-day castrated animals was significantly lower than that of tissue from intact animals. Therefore the concentration of PAP in tissue from castrated mice was significantly elevated when expressed per mg. of DNA (p less than 0.05). Treatment of the mice with testosterone or estradiol did not affect the PAP concentration in the tumor tissue. A significant correlation was observed between the concentration of PAP in the serum and the tumor burden of the mice. Long-term withdrawal of androgens resulted in a decrease of the concentration of PAP in the serum, as well as in a decrease of the tumor burden. The concentration of PAP in the tumor tissue remaining after castration of these animals was not significantly different from that in controls. The present data from the tumor line PC-82 do not support the hypothesis that the concentration of PAP in prostatic tumor tissue is controlled by androgens, but are in agreement with the concept that the level of PAP in plasma is related to the tumor mass.