Abstract
In this study previous knowledge of PAS reactivity of acute leukemia is extended to the ultrastructural level by the periodic acid-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate (PA-TCH-SP) techinique showing the intracellular distribution of the reactive components and the existence of reactive sites not evident with the light microscopic level.
PA-TCH-SP method, which visualized complex carbohydrates with hexose containing vicinal glycol group like PAS staining, stained the granules, glycogen, Golgi apparatus, and cell coat of peroxidase-negative acute leukemia cells. Granules were classified 4 types by PA-TCH-SP reactivity such as clustered dense body-like granules, scattered dense body-like granules, large granules and unevenly-stained abnormal granules. Generally, the PA-TCH-SP reactivity of the clustered dense body-like granules was stronger than that of the scattered dense body-like granules. Unevenly stained granules were observed in poor prognostic group of the leukemia. Glycogen was distributed evenly in the cytoplasm with small particles, or clustered to be a large pool. Coarse granular PAS staining was clustered glycogen or clustered dense body-like granules by PA-TCH-SP on ultrastructural level, and diffuse PAS positivity was abundant glycogen particles evenly distributed in cytoplasm. Small amount of glycogen particles and the scattered dense body-like granules were PAS negative on light microscopic level because of weak resolution.
The PA-TCH-SP method of electron microscope is valuable technique for cytochemistry of complex carbohydrates in peroxidase-negative acute leukemia.
