Bauhinia purpurea and Pisum sativum lectin binding in human breast.

The binding of biotinylated bauhinia purpurea (BPA) and pisum Sativum (PSA) lectins to paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 10 normal breast and 55 breast carcinoma has been investigated by applying avidin biotin peroxidase method (ABC). BPA showed very low affinity for normal breast epithelium and the binding was confined to the luminal surface. Eighty-seven percent carcinoma bound BPA, and the staining patterns varied depending on the histologic grade of tumors: luminal surface binding in grade 1 carcinomas; diffuse, granular cytoplasmic with para- or perinuclear deposits and staining along the plasma membrane in grade 2 and grade 3 carcinomas. PSA bound consistently to the luminal surface of all ducts and acinar cells of normal breast tissue. PSA was reactive with all carcinoma but the staining profiles were similar regardless of the tumor differentiation. It is concluded that the lectins used in this study have limited usefulness in routine diagnosis.

Lectin histochemistry of normal lung and pulmonary carcinoma.

Normal bronchopulmonary tissues and pulmonary carcinomas including three major types (squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and small-cell carcinoma) were studied using three biotinylated lectins (Bauhinia purpurea [BPA], Phaseolus vulgaris [PHA], and Maclura pomifera [MPA]) by avidin biotin peroxidase complex (ABC) method. The study demonstrated that BPA binds with macrophages and pneumocytes of normal tissue, and with adenocarcinoma and small-cell carcinoma, but nonreactive with squamous cell carcinoma. PHA and MPA bound to all the normal components of bronchopulmonary tree and carcinomas of all types. Adenocarcinoma showed the highest density of reacting sites for BPA and MPA, and squamous cell carcinoma showed the highest binding sites for PHA, while small-cell carcinoma were the lowest reacting variant for all lectins. Lectins used in this study have limited usefulness for the diagnosis of pulmonary neoplasms.

Tumor marker studies of cervical smears: an immunohistochemical approach.

Immunoreactivity with monoclonal antibodies against epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), vimentin, squamous epithelium-specific keratin, nonsquamous epithelium-specific keratin, and polyclonal antibodies epithelial cells of 55 cervical smears using the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex and indirect immunoperoxidase methods to detect antigens. Most of the abnormal squamous cells with few normal cells were reactive for EMA but the intensity of the reaction was variable in both cases. There was no correlation in the reactivity between normal and abnormal cells with different cytokeratins varying in their molecular weight. Vimentin was also reactive with both cells. The results of this experiment suggest that antibodies used, appear to be of limited usefulness in the diagnosis of cervical smears.