Expression of TGFβ1 and pituitary adenoma fibrosis

Transsphenoidal approach has been increasingly used in the resection of pituitary adenomas for its minimal invasiveness. However, in about 10% of these cases, the tumor cannot be totally removed due to the fibrosis. In this work, the object is to study the relationship between expression of transforming growth factor 1 (TGF1) and fibrosis of pituitary adenoma. 38 pituitary adenoma specimens were divided into fibrous group (6 cases) and non-fibrous group (32 cases). TGF1 expression was detected by reverse transcript polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. Collagen content was detected by Sirius red stain. In fibrous group and non-fibrous group, respectively, (1) collagen content was 20.95%+/- 8.42% and 7.98%+/- 5.18%, with significant difference (p0.01); (2) TGF1 mRNA was 0.79 +/- 0.15 and 0.42 +/- 0.20; TGF1 protein was 0.64 +/- 0.20 and 0.32 +/- 0.40, both with significant difference (p0.01). Collagen deposition is a significant pathological feature in fibrous pituitary adenomas. TGF1 may play an important role in the fibrosis of adenoma.