Estrogen and progesterone receptors and human conjunctiva

Freshly frozen conjunctival tissue from premenopausal and postmenopausal women and male subjects were processed for estrogen and progesterone receptors by using monoclonal antibodies and a peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique. No immunocytochemical staining was localized in the nuclei of the cells treated with the monoclonal antibodies to human estrogen receptor or human progesterone receptor in any of the conjunctival specimens, in contrast to the strongly positive staining in breast adenocarcinoma controls. Immunocytochemical staining disclosed no evidence for estrogen or progesterone receptors on cells of the ocular surface.