Expression of the carbohydrate tumour marker Sialyl Lewis A, Sialyl Lewis X, Lewis Y and Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen in normal squamous epithelium of the uterine cervix, cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer.

The carbohydrate molecules Sialyl Lewis X (SLeX), Sialyl Lewis A (SLeA), Lewis Y (LeY) and Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen (TF) are known to mediate the adhesion between tumor cells and endothelium. They are used as serum markers in diagnosis and treatment in a broad spectrum of human carcinomas, but their expression profile and role in the development of cervical cancer remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of SLeX, SLeA, LeY and TF in normal cervical squamous epithelium, cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer. Slides of paraffin-embedded tissue were fixed and incubated with monoclonal antibodies against SLeX, SLeA, LeY and TF. Immunohistochemical staining was evaluated by using a semi-quantitative score (IRS Score). We found a significant difference of SLeA expression in invasive cervical cancer compared to normal epithelium (p=0.006) and all grades of dysplasia (p=0.002). The expression of SLeX in normal epithelium was less intense than in carcinoma in situ (p=0.036). Staining for LeY showed the weakest results of the investigated markers. Significant differences were found when normal epithelium was compared to CIN I (p=0.011), to CIN II (p=0.013) and to invasive cervical cancer (p=0.005). For TF, significant differences were found in normal epithelium compared to CIN I (p=0.011), CIN II (p=0.013) and compared to invasive cervical cancer (p=0.005). This is the first study on the expression of SLeA, SLeX, LeY and TF in normal cervical endothelium, cervical dysplasia, carcinoma in situ and invasive cervical cancer. Further studies and higher numbers are desirable.

Effect of aclacinomycin A on in vitro cultures of porcine lens epithelial cells.

As a potential drug for the prevention of secondary cataract formation (SCF), we investigated the effect of Aclacinomycin A (ACM) on the growth of cultures of porcine lens epithelial cells in vitro. ACM is an anthracycline that has been used in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia in the human for many years. It has been shown to be non-mutagenic and non-carcinogenic in in vitro and in animal models. Subconfluent cell cultures were exposed to different concentrations of ACM for 5 minutes. The drug effect was evaluated by cell counts after various lengths of culture time (between 1 and 10 weeks). No cells survived the treatment with 12 or 16 microg ml-1. Cultures treated with concentrations between 0.5 and 8 microg ml-1 showed a marked decrease in cell number when compared to controls. However, reproliferation occurred at concentration up to 8 microg ml-1 after 2-6 weeks. Intraocular application of ACM might be suitable in the prevention of SCF. However, with regard to reproliferation, long-term cultures (or long-term animal models, respectively) have to be used in further evaluating the appropriate dosage for this purpose.