ABSTRACT
Multinucleated giant cells (MGCs) are a prominent characteristic of granulomatous inflammation including tuberculosis. The present study was performed to investigate the characteristics and distribution pattern of intracellular and cell surface glycoconjugates of the MGCs in human pulmonary tubercles using lectin histochemistry. The cytoplasmic staining patterns could be divided into three groups. First, VVL, LCA and SBA showed intense reactivity in the great majority of the MGCs. Second, BS -I, DBA, WGA, PNA, ECL, PHA -L and PHA -E also showed positive staining in the cytoplasm of many MGCs, but the reaction patterns were not uniform. Third, the other group (BS -I - B4 and UEA -I) exhibited very weak or no staining in the cytoplasm. With regard to the membranous staining, the lectin binding patterns could be divided into two groups. First, WGA, ECL, PHA -L & PHA -E showed intense membranous staining. Second, the other lectins (BS -I, BS -I -B4, DBA, VVL, LCA, PNA, SBA and UEA -I) did not show any membranous staining. There was no significant difference in lectin binding patterns between the two types of MGCs. Our results demonstrated the characterization of glycoconjugates expressed in the MGCs in human pulmonary tubercles.