IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL DETECTION OF LACTOFERRIN IN DIFFERENT HUMAN GLANDULAR TISSUES WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE EXOCRINE PANCREAS

The immunohistochemical detection of lactoferrin was carried out with the PAP technique on pancreatic tissue samples of 23 patients, operate d for acute (13) or chronic (4) pancreatitis as well as for adenocarci nomas (6). In order to control our immunohistochemical technique and t he antisera produced by us we studied some tissue samples of human mam mary gland and parotis. We detected lactoferrin in the glands of parot is and mammae as well as of their secretions. In the pancreatic tissue we found a positive reaction only in granulocytes of inflammatory are as with the exception of a luminal reaction on the surface of acinar c ells in one case of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We would like to interp ret our results with the hypothesis of granulocytic origin of immunoch emically detectable lactoferrin in the pancreatic juice of patients, e specially in cases of chronic pancreatitis.