Studies to measure human gastric crypt or gland cell proliferation may
have a number of practical clinical applications in relation to both
benign and malignant gastric conditions. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) la
bels human gastric mucosal cells in the S phase. Computer aided data a
nalysis of labelled mucosa allows static proliferative indices to be e
stimated, including the crypt labelling index (LI), the peak labelling
position, the distribution of labelled cells and indirectly the crypt
growth fraction. Multiparameter flow cytometric analysis of labelled
nuclei allows the S phase duration (Ts) of mucosal cells to be estimat
ed. Specimens of histologically normal gastric body (GB, n=16) and ant
ral mucosa (GA, n=10) were obtained from 25 patients with gastric carc
inomas who received a bolus dose of 250 mg BrdUrd between 3-0 and 15.7
hours before surgery. Tissue sections were stained by an immunohistoc
hemical method and subjected to detailed counting of up to 50 longitud
inal crypts per specimen. The total crypt labelling index was calculat
ed by a grid counting method. A significant difference existed between
the proliferative compartments of gastric antral and body mucosa meas
ured by a number of criteria. The median lengths of the crypts were 13
7 cells (GB) and 188 cells (GA). The median peak labelling positions w
ere cell 26 (GB) and cell 61 (GA) from the crypt orifice. The mean cry
pt labelling indices were 2.8% (GB) and 4.8% (GA). The mean Ts of GA c
ells was 7.7 hours and of GB cells was 10.8 hours.