The glycoproteins content and their distribution in bronchial epitheliocytes during chronic bronchitis. The lectinohistochemical study

Abstract

The luminescence examination of bronchial biopsy specimens taken from 52 patients with primary chronic bronchitis and 8 healthy volunteers (control group) was carried out using lectin sets marked with FITC having the various carbohydrate specificity. Selective lectin markers from healthy bronchial wall epithelial cells were determined. It was shown that defense properties of the normal bronchial mucus membrane are associated with glycoconjugates of goblet cells because mucus glands do not contains sialomucins. During chronic bronchitis, redistribution of lectin receptors is manifested by the increased level of binding with bronchial mucus formation apparatus cells of lectin which is akin to fucomucin and by the decrease of the content of receptors to lectin reacting with sialic acids (the decreased level of sialomucins). During basement hyperplasia and squamous metaplasia of germinal epithelium, the cellular differentiation impairment is accompanied with intensive binding of concavalin-A that isn’t normal characteristics of basal epithelial cells. That may prove significantly when immunoglobulin secretory component synthesis is impaired and local immune pathological reactions are formed. The revealed disturbances of production and those of the glycoproteins content in the epithelial structure of the bronchial wall during chronic bronchitis enable to include mucoregulators into complex pathogenic therapy of that condition.