CANAVALIA VIROSA LECTIN AND ITS TISSUE BINDING PATTERN IN SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA OF ORAL CAVITY

A lectin belonging to the general group of mannose/glucose binding was isolated from the seeds of Cannvalia virosa using sephadex G-50 as it s specific adsorbant. In order to establish a useful marker of maligna ncy of oral tissue, the binding sites of this Canavalia virosa lectin (CVL), peanut agglutinin (PNA), Soybean agglutinin (SEA) and Bandeirae a simplicifolia agglutinin-1 (BSA-1) were comparatively examined in su rgical specimens from the benign and malignant lesions of oral cavity by lectin histochemistry method. The carcinomatous cells showed much m ore variable lectin binding towards CVL than normal controls which gen erally had uniform binding. But loss of receptor for PNA, ABA and BSA- I was observed in poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma: the c ombination of these lectins may be regarded as a useful marker for the objective evaluation of dysplastic grading and to the early detection of histologic evidence of oral epithelial malignancy.