Lactoferrin immuno-expression in human normal and neoplastic bone tissue

Lactoferrin (Lf) expression was investigated by using a Lf monoclonal antibody in 50 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded human bone tumours [10 giant cell tumours (GCTs), 7 osteoid osteomas, 6 ossifying fibromas, 19 enchondromas, 2 chondroblastomas, 2 chondrosarcomas, 2 chondroblastic osteosarcomas, 1 myeloma and 1 adamantinoma] as well as in 8 samples of adult and foetal human normal bone specimens. In addition, the immunohistochemical expression of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and Ki-67 antigen was analysed on parallel sections from the same specimens. Quantification of Lf immunoreactivity was performed by using an Intensity Distribution (ID) score. Lf immuno-expression with a variable ID score was encountered in 19/50 tumours and specifically in 10/10 GCTs, in 5/7 osteoid osteomas, in 2/2 chondroblastomas as well as in the adamantinoma and in the myeloma. With reference to normal bone samples, Lf was expressed by the osteoblasts only in the foetal bone. No immunoreactivity for ER and PR was encountered in all neoplastic samples, and no correlation was found between Lf and sex steroid hormone receptor (ER and PR) immuno-expression. Even more, no association was evidenced between Lf immuno-reactivity and the growth fraction of the tumours, reflected by the Ki-67 labelling index. Lf expression in the osteoblastic lineage of bone-forming tumours, together with its presence in the osteoblasts of foetal bone, requires further investigations, although it cannot be ruled out that Lf might be involved in the bone formation in humans, similarly to what has been demonstrated in other species.