title: Proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in Wistar rat livers. A retrospective immunohistochemical study of normal and neoplastic livers.
abstract: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver specimens from 27 2-year-old Wistar rats, including 10 normal livers, 11 hepatocellular adenomas, 2 hepatocellular carcinomas, and 4 cystic cholangiomas, were immunostained using the streptavidin/peroxidase method and the PC10 monoclonal antibody (Mab), which recognizes an epitope on the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). The following PCNA labeling index (LI) mean values were found for the above four groups of liver specimens: normal livers, 0.43 +/- 0.31%; hepatocellular adenomas, 1.51 +/- 0.59%; hepatocellular carcinomas, 24.80% +/- 10.28%; and cystic cholangiomas, 0.61 +/- 0.21%. Our findings indicate that PCNA LI clearly separates liver malignancies from other benign liver tumors, as well as from normal, non-neoplastic, liver tissues. Although the mean PCNA LI values seemed to reflect histological grading (i. e. normal, neoplastic benign, neoplastic malignant), overlapping between normal livers and hepatocellular adenomas was observed in five cases (i. e. in 2 normal livers and 3 hepatocellular adenomas, where the PCNA LI values varied between 0.74% and 0.96%). It thus appears that PCNA immunohistochemistry represents a promising tool for investigating liver cell proliferation in laboratory rats, and permits distinguishing between benign and malignant liver parenchymal tumors.
authors.affiliation: Sandoz Pharma Ltd., Basle, Switzerland.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perentes
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ettlin
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karamitopoulou
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Prentice
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen