[The histochemistry of complex carbohydrates in the prostatic tumor]

Seventy five prostatic specimens from cancer, BPH and normal controls were studied by light microscopic histochemical methods for the demonstration of complex carbohydrates and some proteins: 1) alcian blue (AB) (pH 1.0), 2) alcian blue (AB) (pH 2.5), 3) Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS), 4) peroxidase labelled-Ricinus communis agglutinin-diaminobenzidine (PO-RCA-DAB), 5) Concanavalin A-peroxidase-diaminobenzidine (ConA-PO-DAB), 6) ConA-PO-DAB-periodic acid-m-aminophenol Fast black salt K (ConA-PO-DAB-PA-AP-FBK). For identifying individual acidic and neutral carbohydrates, following procedures of enzyme digestion were performed upon some tissue sections prior to the above histochemical staining: a) sialidase (prior to staining with AB at pH 2.5), b) streptomyces hyaluronidase (prior to staining with AB at pH 2.5), c) testicular hyaluronidase (prior to staining with AB at pH 1.0 or pH 2.5), d) chondroitinase ABC (prior to staining with AB at pH 1.0 or pH 2.5), e) chondroitinase AC (prior to staining with AB at pH 1.0 or pH 2.5), f) alpha-amylase (prior to staining with PAS). In addition, the tissue specimens from prostatic cancer were stained immunohistochemically for demonstration of prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) and the serum PAP levels were also measured by radioimmunoassay. The histochemical differences in the prostatic tissue among normal control, BPH and cancer as follows. In the tissue of prostatic cancer, chondroitin sulfate A, C and hyaluronic acid were present in the interstitium. Chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid and sialic acid were present in the cytoplasm of cancer cells. In the tissue of BPH chondroitin sulfate B and hyaluronic acid was present in the interstitium and hyaluronic acid was present in the cytoplasm of epitherial cells. In the epithelial basement membrane of the tissue from BPH, chondroitin B and hyaluronic acid were present. 1,2-Glycol groups of neutral complex carbohydrates in the interstitium of prostatic cancer were shown to exist in smaller amounts than in that of BPH. In the cytoplasm of cancer cells the intensity of both PO-RCA-DAB and ConA-PO-DAB staining could be divided into three groups: strong, moderate and weak. In the prostatic cancer there was a good correlation between the intensity of PO-RCA-DAB staining and tumor grade, and intensity of ConA-PO-DAB staining was correlated well with serum PAP level. The cytoplasm of cancer cells showed a positive reaction to PAP immunostaining and no appreciable difference was observed according to tumor grade.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)