Zinc and β-Glucuronidase in the Human Prostate

Abstract

Zinc concentration and β-glucuroniaase activity were determined in biopsy specimens of non-carcinoma-tous and of carcinomatous human prostatic tissue. The zinc concentration was clearly higher in the former. Neither estrogen nor estramustine phosphate treatment produced any demonstrable change in the zinc concentration in the carcinomatous tissue. The β-glucuronidase activity in specimens from untreated prostatic carcinoma did not differ from that in non-cancerous prostatic tissue. After treatment of the cancer with estrogen or estramustine phosphate, the activity was lower. A strong positive correlation was found between zinc coilcentration and β-glucuronidase activity in non-carcinomatous, but not in carcinomatous tissue.