[Morphological and biochemical studies of collagen in prostatic hypertrophy (author's transl)]

In an attempt to clarify the differentiation of prostate collagen under the comparison with histological pictures, 46 human prostatic hypertrophy specimens (from 50 to 79 years old) and normal specimens (from 27 gestational weeks to 80 years old) were examined by these techniques; the determination of hydroxyproline, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, CM-cellulose chromatography, amino acid analysis, and electron-microscopical studies on Segment-Long-Spacing collagen. The prostatic hypertrophy specimens were morphologically divided into stromal type (13 cases), glandular type (11 cases), and mixed type (22 cases). The results were as follows: 1) The prostate collagen was composed of Type I and Type III collagens in both hypertrophic and normal group. 3) In normal group, the average value of the lysyl hydroxylation of collagen in fetus and newborn prostate was 29.8 +/- 1.1% (mean +/- S.E.), but it showed conspicuous decrease in childhood and indicated about 18% by 20 years old. 4) The average value in hypertrophic group was 28.6 +/- 0.7%, while that in the age normal people over 50 years old was 22.8 +/- 2.3%, These findings led to the conclusion that an early stage collagen increases in prostatic hypertrophy, therefore it is presumed that there is a defect in process of collagen maturation.