Quantification of alpha1-adrenoceptor subtypes by real-time RT-PCR and correlation with age and prostate volume in benign prostatic hyperplasia patients

BACKGROUND: We used a real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method for quantification of each alpha(1)-adrenoceptor (alpha(1)-AR) subtype expression level, and examined whether age and prostate volume influence human prostate alpha(1)-AR subtype expression. METHODS: Enrolled in our study were 75 men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to untreated benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Real-time RT-PCR was performed using prostate biopsy specimens to quantify the expression level of each alpha(1)-AR subtype. RESULTS: The median expression level (interquartile range) was 1.24 (0.66-2.32), 0.16 (0.10-0.33), and 1.11 (0.75-2.27) x 1,000 copies/beta-actin for alpha(1a)-, alpha(1b)-, and alpha(1d)-AR mRNA, respectively. The expression levels differed with the individual. The expression levels of alpha(1a)-AR, alpha(1d)-AR, and total alpha(1)-AR mRNA showed a significant positive correlation with patient age, but did not correlate with prostate volume. CONCLUSION: The difference in the expression of the alpha(1)-AR subtype with the patient may be the cause of the difference in the effectiveness of several subtype-selective alpha(1)-AR antagonists from patient to patient. The increase of alpha(1)-AR mRNA expression level with age could be an important factor in the pathogenesis of clinically significant BPH.