[Immunocytochemical detection of laminin by light and electron microscopy: study of changes in the basement membrane...

A wide range of normal human tissue samples including cervix, endometrium, thyroid, pancreas, parotid, breast, placenta, gastric mucosae, striated muscle were compared with tumorous and non tumorous disorders (thyroiditis, Graves disease, follicular adenoma, thyroid carcinomas, breast cystic disease, fibroadenoma, adenosis, breast carcinomas) using anti-laminin and Avidin Biotin Peroxidase complex method on frozen sections (light microscopy study) and vibratome cut 100 micrometer-thick-sections (electron microscopy study). It was shown that laminin was located in the lamina densa of basement membranes (BM) in normal human tissue and visible on BM like structures around decidua cells, BM were abnormally thick and often multilayered but continuous and laminin positive in intraductal breast carcinomas and well differentiated follicular carcinomas of thyroid, in invasive carcinomas laminin immunostaining displayed an heterogeneous pattern with disruptions and even may completely disappeared, in tumor stroma, blood vessels BM had a laminin abnormal staining with a multilayered pattern. Since laminin is involved in cell attachment to basement membrane through specific receptors to laminin and to biochemical components of modified interstitium found in tumorous disorders, laminin immunohistochemical detection constitutes a valuable method for a better understanding of tumor cells diffusion and metastases development.