Immunohistological study of α-fetoprotein in the liver of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma using Avidin-Biotin-Complex method and immunoelectron microscopy

Abstract

α-fetoprotein (AFP) was observed by Avidin Biotin Complex (ABC) method in Bouin-fixed paraffin embedded liver tissues from 50 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). And further, AFP was electronmicroscopically demonstrated by peroxidase-labeled Fab' fraction of anti-AFP in the PLP-fixed surgical specimens obtained from 4 patients with HCC.
Intrahepatic AFP was observed in 21 of 50 patients. AFP was distributed granularly or diffusely in the cytoplasm of hepatoma cells. These AFP-positive cells frequently appeared in patients with high level of serum AFP and also in patients with Edmondson's grading II or III. In the electron microscopic observation of hepatoma cells, AFP was localized in the cisternae and membrane of rough endoplasmic reticulum, membrane bound ribosomes, perinuclear space and Golgi apparatus.