THE FORENSIC VALUE OF THE IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL DETECTION OF ESTROGEN-RECEPTORS IN VAGINAL EPITHELIUM

This study investigated whether oestrogen receptors can be immunohisto chemically detected in paraffin-embedded vaginal mucosa samples using monoclonal antibodies and whether the method would be suitable for the identification of vaginal cells in cytological smears. Samples of vag inal mucosa were obtained from living females and female corpses, as v aginal smears. For comparison purposes, resected prepuce samples and s amples of postmortem male urethral mucosa were also investigated, Nucl ear oestrogen receptors could be regularly detected in the basal, para basal and deeper intermediate epithelium layers of freshly fixed vagin al mucosa but proved to be highly sensitive to autolytic changes. In t he cytological smears obtained from living subjects, no oestrogen rece ptors were detectable. Oestrogen receptors were also detected in the b asal epidermal cells of the male prepuce.