| Summary: | 碩士 === 中山醫學院 === 生物化學研究所 === 89 === ABSTRACT
Buried penis is a congenital abnormality in which the phallus is concealed within the surface of prepubic skin. It has been described as a rare condition by some authors, but it is probably more common than has been appreciated. This condition may be more frequently seen in ethnic Chinese, although the etiology is still unknown.
The androgen receptor (AR) is a member of the steroid receptor family of nuclear transcription factors, whose action requires the binding of ligand. AR is found ubiquitously throughout mammalian tissues, implying that androgens have diverse roles not only in development and maintenance of male sexual function, but also in many other sexually dimorphic processes. Disorders of androgen receptor function cause a spectrum of phenotypic abnormalities. The present study attempted to investigate the relationship between the quality and quantity of androgen receptor at penile skin and buried penis.
Past two years, we used the immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, radio-immuno assay (RIA) and Western blotting analysis to study the activity and amount of androgen receptor in the prepuce of both normal children and the children with buried penis. We classified our total study population of 33 patients with buried penis into four groups based on the expression levels of AR by IHC staining. Surgical management of these patients were also classified into four groups based on clinical indications and physical examinations. A comparison between the IHC stain and surgical management as disclosed by a retrospective chart review showed that the IHC stain matched the surgical management in each group (P = 0.57307, > 0.05). A control group of 57 boys with phimosis had more intensive and clear staining than that of patients with buried penis by IHC stain study. A similar result was obtained using Western blotting analysis. Our study has proved that the amount of androgen receptor in the prepuce of normal children is significantly higher than that in the children with buried penis. We also found that the amount of androgen receptor is negatively correlated with the spectrum of phenotypic abnormalities of phallus in children with buried penis.
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