Differential labeling by monoclonal antibodies Adnab-9 and anti-alpha-defensin 5 based on the distribution and adenomatous tissue content of colonic polyps.

We sought a correlation between site and morphology of colonic polyps by labeling with neoplastic and general Paneth cell markers, monoclonal antibodies Adnab-9 and anti-alpha-defensin 5, respectively. Proportions labeled by Adnab-9 and anti-alpha-defensin 5 were, respectively, 42 and 85% for adenomas, 39 and 63% for early tubular adenomas, 41 and 44% for serrated, 34 and 20% for mixed, and 11 versus 2.7% for hyperplastic polyps. Compared with hyperplastic polyps, the proportion of other polyps labeled by Adnab-9 or anti-alpha-defensin 5 was higher but this difference was more significant for distal (P = 0.008 for Adnab-9 and P = 0.0001 for anti-alpha-defensin 5) than proximal (P = 0.645 and P = 0.154, respectively) polyps. While increased labeling of all proximal polyps compared to distal ones mirrored the colonic distribution of Paneth cells, distal adenomas tended to have a higher proportion labeled by Adnab-9, suggesting that Adnab-9 labels Paneth cells associated with increased neoplastic potential.