HISTOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON N-ACETYL-BETA-GALACTOSAMINIDASE AND N-ACETYL-BETA-GLUCOSAMINIDASE IN CANCER OF UTERINE CERVIX

N-acetyl-β-galactosaminidase (β-GA) and N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase (β-GL) were histochemically studied on the cervix of myoma uteri and the cervix of the uterine cervical cancer, both resected immediately after hysterectomia. The results were compared with those of the CPL classification on the same specimen. 1) Activities of neither β-GA nor β-GL were shown in the normal squamous epithelium and subepithelial tissue, but weak activity of β-GA and moderate activity of β-GL were shown in the columnar epithelial cells. 2) Cells showing the activities of β-GA and β-GL were seen in the parenchyma and adjacent tissue of the cervical cancer. These cells seemed to be mast cell judging from the comparison with the enzyme histochemical staining, H. E. staining and toluidine blue staining with the serial sections. 3) On the number of cancer cells showing the activities of β-GA and β-GL in the cancer tissue, no particular relation was found among the groups in the CPL classification. 4) In the adjacent tissue of cancer, the numbr of cells showing the activity of β-GL was markedly increased in C type of the classification and was moderately increased in CP type. In P type, however, the cells showing the activity of β-GL were not found at all or found scarcely in the preparations. Therefore, the classification by the quantity of the enzyme in the adjacent tissue of cancer was closely related to the CPL classification. The classification by the number of the cells showing the activity of β-GA had also some relation to the CPL classification, but the relation was not so close as that between β-GL and the CPL classification. © 1969, Tohoku University Medical Press. All rights reserved.