Recently, the lectins were used in experiments of cancer research the nature of lectins bindings to carbohydrate containing membrane receptors, specifically. Previous investigations have suggested that a plant lectin (PNA) can be used to detect a carbohydrate precursor antigen (T-antigen) on tissue samples of breast cancers.
Therefore, to evaluate the patterns of lectin binding in various types of breast cancer, the author had performed an experiment with commercially available lectins, such as Concanavalin-A (Con-A), soybean agglutinin (SBA), wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), Ulex europaeus agglutinin I(UEA I) Ricinus communis agglutinin I(RCA I), peanut agglutinin (PNA) and Pinellia ternata agglutinin (PTA).
The tissues used were formalin fixed and paraffin embedded normal breast, intraductal carcinoma, invasive ductal carcinoma, mutinous carcinoma, medullary carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma.
For histologic demonstration of lectin binding, biotinylated lectins were used and followed by application of avidin-biotinylated peroxidase and benzidine substrate.
The results obtained are as follows;
1. RCA I, Con-A, and WGA showed positive reaction to normal alveolar and ductal epithelia and all the epithelia seen in malignanrlesions.
2. PNA and PTA showed negative reaction to normal mammary epithelia, and positive reactions to the epithelia of all the malignant lesions tested.
3. DBA showed positive reaction to normal alveolar epithelium and invasive lobular carcinoma arising from alveolar epithelium.
4. SBA showed only in the mucous material of the mutinous carcinoma and UEA I showed only to intraductal carcinoma.
Above results suggest that PNA and PTA are good tracers to differentiate the normal mammary epithelia and malignant cells and that DBA is a good tracer to differentiate the alveolar cells and cells of lobular carcinoma arising from alveolar cells.
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