Immunohistochemical detection of human epidermal growth factor in submandibular glands and their tumors using a polyclonal antiserum and a monoclonal antibody.

We applied immunohistochemical procedures to detect hEGF in salivary glands and pleomorphic adenomas of salivary-gland origin using a polyclonal hEGF antiserum and a monoclonal antibody against hEGF synthesized by applying the synthetic gene technique using Escherichia coli. In normal salivary glands, hEGF was mainly localized in the ductal system (i.e., intercalated, striated, and excretory ducts). The staining intensity and intracellular localization exhibited some variation depending on the fixative used. When a polyclonal hEGF antiserum was used for immunostaining, slight background staining was observed in sections prepared using the fixatives tested. Therefore, precise localization of hEGF was obtainable only in formalin-fixed sections using the monoclonal antibody against hEGF. In pleomorphic adenomas, positive hEGF staining was seen on the luminal side of tumors and in cells of ductal origin; no reactivity was present on the outer side of tumors or in cells of myoepithelial origin. Occasionally, long, spindle-shaped tumor cells and chondroidally changed tumor cells also exhibited positive staining for hEGF.