Lectin histochemistry of ovarian mucinous cystadenomas

The lectin histochemistry of ovarian mucinous cystadenoma was studied using a panel of lectins comprising Triticum vulgaris, Lotus tetragonolobus, Arachis hypogaea, Griffonia simplicifolia I, concanavalin A, and Dolichus biflorus. All 23 cases examined in this study stained extensively with T. vulgaris. Of all the lectins, D. biflorus was the least reactive. Concanavalin A stained mainly the perinuclear zone, whereas the other lectins frequently stained the cytoplasm, glycocalyx, and extracellular luminal mucin. This pattern of lectin reactivity resembles endocervical more than intestinal epithelium and suggests that ovarian mucinous cystadenomas are of müllerian nature. The lack of difference in lectin reactivity between cystadenomas with and without goblet/Paneth cells supports a common histogenetic origin of both groups.