Intramucosal cysts of the stomach. VIII: Histochemical studies

Intramucosal cysts of the human stomach have been earlier classified on the basis of their epithelial lining into 1. fundic, 2. foveolar, 3. pyloric, 4. with intestinal metaplasia and 5. with ciliated metaplasia. Four histochemical methods (high iron diamine (HID)-Alcian blue pH 2.5 (AB), PAS, Concanavalin A (ConA), and Grimelius reaction were used. The cells of foveolar cysts contained neutral mucins and sialomucins, and those of pyloric cysts, neutral mucins, sialomucins, mannose-rich glycoprotein and argyrophilic material. The goblet cells in intestinal metaplastic cysts contained neutral mucins and sialomucins as well as sulphated mucins, while ciliated cells in ciliated metaplastic cysts demonstrated mannose-rich glycoproteins and argyrophilic material (although some ciliated cells were negative for both). The cells of fundic gland cysts were negative for all tested methods. The frequency of intramucosal gastric cysts is known to be high in stomachs having adenocarcinoma, and low in stomachs with peptic ulcers. Several reports have demonstrated alterations in the composition of gastric mucins in stomachs harbouring an adenocarcinoma. Consequently, the histochemical stains may prove of value to investigate the true significance of intramucosal cysts in gastric carcinogenesis.