Jack fruit lectin binding pattern in benign and malignant lesions of the breast

N-acetyl D-galactosamine specific lectin was isolated from Jack fruit (Artocarpus integrifolia) and conjugated to horse radish peroxidase type VI. The purified conjugate was used for the study of tissue binding properties on benign and malignant lesions of the breast using diaminobenzidine as substrate on dewaxed tissue sections. Forty mammary carcinomas, 10 cystic hyperplasias of the breast and 10 normal breast tissues were used for the study. Neoplastic cells showed increased affinity to the lectin. The lectin binding was focally strong in neoplastic cells compared to the normal as well as the hyperplastic tissues. The stroma of the cancer tissues showed an intense strong binding where elastosis was present. The use of the lectin as a histochemical reagent is discussed.