IMMUNOGOLD ANALYSIS OF ANTIOXIDANT ENZYMES IN COMMON RENAL CANCERS

Immunogold studies of normal human kidney and common human kidney canc ers were performed using polyclonal antibodies to antioxidant enzymes, including antibodies to copper, zinc and manganese superoxide dismuta ses, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione S-transferases and their subunits. Normal tissue adjacent to human renal tumors had t he same antioxidant enzyme immunoreactive protein profiles as normal h uman kidney, thus establishing that the presence of tumor does not alt er the levels of antioxidant enzyme immunoreactive proteins in adjacen t kidney tissue. Levels of immunoreactive protein for antioxidant enzy mes were determined in four common types of malignant renal cancer. In general, tumors had low levels of antioxidant enzymes; however, certa in histologic types of renal tumors had high levels of immunoreactive protein for glutathione S-transferase subunits, which could affect the ir susceptibility to chemotherapy. Studies of transitional carcinoma o f the renal pelvis were especially informative since it was possible t o compare levels of antioxidant enzyme immunoreactive protein with adj acent normal transitional epithelium; the majority of antibodies resul ted in lower levels of immunoreactive protein in transitional cell car cinoma than in adjacent normal transitional epithelium. Our results ar e discussed in relation to the response of renal tumors to therapy.