DIFFERENTIAL HISTOCHEMICAL PEANUT AGGLUTININ STAIN IN BENIGN AND MALIGNANT HUMAN PROSTATE TUMORS - RELATIONSHIP WITH PROSTATIC SPECIFIC ANTIGEN IMMUNOSTAIN AND NUCLEAR-DNA CONTENT

The histochemical binding pattern of the peanut (Arachis hypogaea) lec tin (PNA) was quantitatively described by means of computer-assisted m icroscope analysis in 28 benign prostatic hyperplasias (BPH), 15 prost atic intraepithelial neoplasias (PIN), and 119 prostatic adenocarcinom as. PNA exhibits nonimmune but selective binding to glycoproteins with beta-D-galactosyl(1,3)-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine residues. We also inv estigated whether a relationship existed between the number of histoch emical-related PNA accepters and the histochemical prostate-specific a ntigen (PSA) stain intensity, and between the number of PNA receptors and DNA ploidy level. The results show that neoplastic prostate tissue s and high-grade intraepithelial prostatic neoplasias (PIN2 3) exhibit a significantly higher number of PNA accepters than benign prostatic hyperplasias and low (PIN1) grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasias . A statistically significant correlation was observed between the num ber of histochemically related PNA accepters and PSA immunostain inten sity. Lastly, diploid prostatic tumors, whether benign or malignant, e xhibited a significantly higher number of PNA accepters than aneuploid ones. These results suggest that PNA accepters play an important role in the biology of prostate tumors. Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunder s Company