Polysaccharides and mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) expression in gallbladder mucosa of young patients with gallstones as evaluated by spatial visualization and quantification
The study aimed at examination of tissue expression of polysaccharides and secretory mucin 5AC (MUC5AC)in young patients (up to 25 years of age) with a symptomatic gallstones. For comparison, patients most frequently subjectedto cholecystectomy were studied, i.e. patients of approximately 50 years of age with the same diagnosis. In quantitativestudies on tissue expression of both mucus components, the modern technique of spatial visualization was applied for thefirst time. Application of the technique permitted to demonstrate significant positive relationships between expression ofglycoproteins (immunocytochemical ABC technique for detection of MUC5AC) and expression of sugar components inmucus (PAS technique) and to confirm suitability of the technique for quantitative appraisal of both histochemical andimmunocytochemical reactions. An even higher expression of polysaccharides in the entire mucosa and of MUC5AC wasdetected in gallbladder epithelium of 50-year-old patients, as compared to young patients with symptomatic gallstones. Inthe young patients, expression of polysaccharides correlated with inflammatory activity (grading), width of gallbladder walland PLT level in peripheral blood. A significantly higher expression of polysaccharides in gallbladder epithelium wasdemonstrated in young patients admitted in the emergency mode to the hospital. These correlations in young patients maysuggest a role of both mucus components in pathogenesis of cholelithiasis in this age group. A quantitative appraisal ofmucus component expression in the two parts of gallbladder mucosa (epithelium vs. entire mucosa) using spatial visualizationtechnique permitted to more accurately compare production of glycoproteins and of polysaccharides in patients withcholelithiasis and to demonstrate additional correlations of a potential clinical significance
