Demonstration of estrogen receptors in the skin.

The occurence of high affinity and limited capacity estrogen receptors in skin specimens was investigated and the concentrations of cytoplasmic and nuclear receptors were studied in 14 normal and 22 castrated women. The skin estrogen receptor levels were low in all cases examined, although they usually exceeded the limit value used for estrogen receptor levels in breast cancer tissue. The cytoplasmic and nuclear receptor concentrations in normal women varied from 2.4 to 9.0 and from 1.5 to 7.0 fmol/mg cytosol protein, respectively. The receptor was present as a very high affinity binding component (KD = 0.2- 1.6 x 10(-9)M). The estrogen receptor concentrations in the skin during estriol succinate and estriol valerate therapy were at roughly the same level as during the normal menstrual cycle. The patients who received no replacement therapy after castration displayed the lowest skin estrogen receptor levels. The share of nuclear receptors seemed to be smaller on average during the normal menstrual cycle and in castrated patients not given estrogen therapy than in women treated with estriol succinate or estradiol valerate.