Immunocytochemical localization of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in the liver and testis of rats injected with testosterone-BSA, hydrocortisone-BSA or corticosterone-BSA

Through observations of colloidal gold with silver enhancement, we have demonstrated that 2-nm colloidal gold labeled-testosterone-bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugate or hydrocortisone-BSA conjugate injected intravenously enters the hormone-target cell nuclei of rats (Nishimura and Ichihara, 1997; Nishimura and Nakano, 1997, 1999). To confirm immunocytochemically whether the nature of BSA in the steroid hormone-BSA conjugates (steroid-BSAs) remains intact in the hormone-target cell nuclei, testosterone-BSA, hydrocortisone-BSA or corticosterone-BSA was injected into the vascular system of rats, then the liver and testes of rats killed 2 h postinjection were reacted with FITC-conjugated anti-BSA antibody, and examined under fluorescence microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. In the liver of rat injected with testosterone-BSA, the fluorescence was observed in the nuclei of endothelial cells, but not in the nuclei of hepatocytes, hepatic stellate cells and Kupffer cells. In the liver of rat injected with hydrocortisone-BSA, intense fluorescence was seen in the nuclei of hepatic stellate cells, but did not seem to be present in the nuclei of the other three kinds of cells. In the liver of rat injected with corticosterone-BSA, the fluorescence seemed to be in a few nuclei of hepatic stellate cells, and appeared as speckles in a few nuclei of the hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. In some seminiferous tubules of rat injected with testosterone-BSA, fluorescence was observed in the nuclei of spermatocytes and spermatids. These results suggest that BSA conjugated with steroid hormone can enter the hormone-target cell nuclei with its antigenicity kept intact, and that the fate of steroid-BSAs is decided at the cell membrane level.