Immunohistochemical searching for estrogen and progesterone receptors in women vocal fold epithelia

Abstract

Larynx is extremely sensitive to endocrinologic changes. Most vocal fold mucosa alterations are caused by changes in vocal fold liquid content and its epithelial changes. Estrogen and progesterone interfere and change this liquid content in the vocal folds. Our goal with the present paper is to study the presence of estrogen and progesterone receptors on vocal fold epithelium in 19 vocal fold epithelium specimens that did not present any indication of disease, especially inflammatory disease. We discarded those cases of patients above 40 years of age and those below 15.

Results: We found progesterone receptors in 18 of the 19 patients. The progesterone receptors are located both in the nucleus and the cytoplasm of cells, and mainly in the basal layer. There was no report of estrogen receptors present in the vocal folds.

Conclusion: Vocal fold epithelium bears progesterone receptors, in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus. We did not find estrogen receptors in the epithelia of the vocal folds investigated.

Figure 1

Vocal fold without immunohistochemistry - Figure 2. LM.HE 318x. Vocal fold cross-section immediately anterior to that of Figure 1, without the use of immunohistochemistry.

Figure 2

Progesterone positive - Figure 1. LM. HE. 318x. Vocal fold cross-section showing progesterone receptors. Positiveness is seen by means of this red-brownish dye.

Figure 3

Negative for estrogen receptors - Figure 3. LM. (63x) HE. Normal vocal fold epithelium; negative for estrogen receptors.

Figure 4

Positive for progesterone receptors - Figure 4. MO.HE.(63x) Normal vocal fold epithelium; positive for progesterone receptors. Notice the brownish color of the vocal fold epithelium.