Lectin histochemical studies on gastric intestinal metaplasia with Ulex europaeus agglutinin-I Dolichos biflorus and peanut agglutinins in comparison with gastric and small and large intestinal mucosa.

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Abstract
In order to find out which type of intestinal metaplasia, complete or incomplete, in the human stomach is more closely related to the small or large intestinal mucosa from the viewpoint of their glycoprotein content, we studied the lectin staining characteristics of the secreted mucin, luminal surface, apical and supranuclear cytoplasm, goblet mucin of both types of metaplastic glands and compared them with those of the small intestinal, ascending and descending colonic mucosa. Three types of lectins, Ulex europaeus agglutinin-I, Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) and peanut agglutinin, were used with and without prior neuraminidase digestion. Specimens were selected from 32 resected stomachs which contained both metaplastic and non-metaplastic glands. Six specimens were selected from the small intestine and 12 each from the ascending and descending colon. Blood groups of the patients were also taken into consideration. Findings showed that both types of metaplastic glands possessed definitely different lectin binding properties from the non-metaplastic glands. They also differed from the small and large intestinal mucosa. However, no distinguishable difference was found between the lectin staining of the complete and incomplete types of metaplastic glands. When DBA, a group A antigen-specific lectin was used, patients with blood groups A and AB showed different lectin staining from patients with blood groups B and O. Also, goblet mucin of the metaplastic glands and small intestinal mucosa showed stepwise changes in lectin staining from the bottom to the upper portion of the crypts in accordance with the migration of these cells from the bottom of the crypts upwards.